YuGiOh! Tournament of the Millennium
by Avenger of Mythos
Summary: Yugi and the gang are invited to a new tournament for big prizes! But is this tournament more than meets the eye? (18 of 12th 2004: Chapter 20 Uploaded)
1. The Invitation

Hi there! This is a new story I'm starting set a year after Battle City finished. I've never really written an actual story about the characters on the show so don't be surprised if I mess up the characters somehow. Also, I haven't seen all of Battle City yet, so I was wondering if anyone could tell me which cards Yugi, Joey, Seto, Mai, Weevil, Bakura and any other characters in Battle City won or lost in duels. If anyone could it would be greatly appreciated.  
  
But now I'll get on to the first chapter of my story!  
  
Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium  
Chapter 1: The Invitation  
  
"I'll equip my Dark Magician with United We Stand to raise it's Attack Strength to 3300 so I can destroy your Fortress Whale AND finish off your life points in one go! Looks like you lose, Joey!" Yugi laughed as Joey groaned in disappointment. "Don't worry about it. You're getting a whole lot better. You almost won that!" Yugi tried to cheer his best friend up.  
  
"Almost, Yugi, almost. There's a difference between almost and actually ya know." Joey said in a solemn voice. "Ah, who am I kidding? I nearly beat ya Yug! Ya must be losin' yer touch. Either that or I'm getting better." A smug grin appeared on Joey's face as he started to pack up his deck.  
  
"No way! There's as much chance of you beating Yugi as there is of Kaiba saying that you're one of the best duelists he's ever seen!" Tristen chuckled as he watched Joey's face turn increasingly red.  
  
Joey started to shout at Tristen at the top of his voice. "WHADDA YA MEAN BY THAT?! WHY DON'T YA JUST SHUT YER BIG FAT TRAP FOR ONCE?!" Once he'd stopped raving Joey began to mutter under his breath about Tristen, ropes and a bonfire.  
  
"Oh, leave him alone. Joey's really improving." That was Tea, watching the duel from the comfort of the couch in Yugi's home. They'd gone there after school to study, but, as usual, it had just ended up as an excuse for Yugi and Joey to duel, and for Tristen to insult Joey. In other words, just a normal day for the gang.  
  
Yugi finished putting his deck away and glanced at Joey and Tristen, who'd started arguing again. He walked over to Tea. She sighed. "Man, they're at it again. Don't they ever stop?" She looked at them arguing. "Sometimes I think that they're brothers, they fight so much."  
  
Yugi laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But I know how to get them to stop." He winked at Tea, then turned to the two fighting friends. "Hey, you two! I'm going down for a snack!"  
  
The effect was instant. Joey and Tristen swung round to face Yugi, their fight totally forgotten. "FOOD!" With a simultaneous shout they both rushed out of Yugi's room and shoved each other down the stairs in their haste to find THE FOOD.  
  
Yugi and Tea looked at each other and burst out laughing. It took about five minutes for them to calm down, and Tea's eyes were watering from laughing so much. With a final grin she hurried down the stairs, Yugi following.  
***  
  
Yugi's mouth dropped open as he surveyed the scene in the kitchen. There were leftovers everywhere and in the middle of it all, on the kitchen floor, Joey and Tristen were wrestling each other for the last pickle to put on their sandwiches. "Hey guys, calm down. Let me settle this." Joey and Tristen stopped to see how Yugi would solve their problem. Yugi opened the pickle jar, pulled out the pickle and threw it in the bin. "There. Problem solved. Grandpa and I don't really care for pickles very much anyway. The only reason we buy them is because you insist on putting them on every sandwich you make." Yugi looked at Joey's sandwich. "I mean, a peanut butter, lamb, honey, mayonnaise, tomato, cereal and pickle sandwich? What are you trying to do? Kill yourself?"  
  
Joey grunted, picked up his sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't knock it 'til you've tried it Yug!" He took another big bite and sighed. "Ah, bliss."  
  
Yugi was starting to feel sick suddenly and was about to leave. Tea had left as soon as Yugi started to examine Joey's sandwich. 'She's probably outside, trying to get some fresh air before she throws up.' Yugi thought nauseously. Just as he got up from his seat Grandpa came into the room. "What's up Grandpa?" Yugi asked curiously.  
  
"Mail for you Yugi. Let's see... fanmail, more fanmail, an interview request, bills, sorry, must've missed those, your Duel Monsters Magazine, fanmail, fanmail, fanmail, there's a whole bag of these outside Yugi, another interview request, and this." Grandpa handed Yugi a black envelope. He stared at it curiously. Most of his mail was from Duel Monster fans who idolised him. People asked for advice, autographs, dates, he'd even been asked by a fanatic if he'd marry her. So to get a totally unmarked envelope was unusual in the least.  
  
"Hmm, let's see what it says." Just before Yugi opened it he saw Tea come back into the room from the corner of his eye. "Well, it doesn't have any insignia or I.D. on it. Guess I'll have to read it." The others crowded around him. Feeling a bit uncomfortable Yugi began to read.  
  
Dear Master Yugi Moto,  
  
"Wow, whoever it is is very formal." Tea commented before being shushed by Grandpa. Yugi started to read again.  
  
You have been officially invited to participate in an upcoming tournament I, Mr. Thomas Harris, have taken the time to arrange especially for the best duelists in the world to compete in. There will be a ten million dollar first prize and rare cards awarded to the top eight competitors. This is a great chance, as only two hundred and fifty duelists have been invited to the tournament.  
  
The tournament will take place in two months time in Hobart, Tasmania, in the country of Austalia. It's rules will be rather like the famous Battle City tournament, although with a few changes. If you wish to compete you must post the enclosed envelope. It is pre-addressed electronically, so there is no need to address it yourself. When we get your acceptence letter a second package containing the tournament rules, details and a very rare card will be sent straight to you.  
  
I hope you will decide to compete, for this is a truly once in a lifetime chance.  
  
Mr. Thomas Harris  
  
"That's it. Nothing else. Just the acceptance slip." Yugi said, holding the smaller envelope.  
  
"Hey, cool! Man, if only the top duelists can compete that means less competition for me!" Joey crowed, confident he would find an invitation siting on his doorstep sometime soon. "So, you gonna enter Yug?" Joey asked.  
  
Yugi looked at the letter again, then grinned. "Sure, why not? At least I'll get a rare card out of the deal. Grandpa, can I go post this now?" Yugi asked excitedly. Grandpa smiled.  
  
"I don't see why not. We could do with some prize money. There haven't been any tournaments for a while you know."  
  
Yugi, Tea and Tristen rushed out the door to go to the post office. Grandpa turned around and saw Joey put a slightly dirty-looking pickle on his sandwich. "Now it's perfect. See ya Gramps!" With a shout Joey ran out the door to follow his friends.  
  
Grandpa shook his his head. "One of these days that boy will kill himself with those sandwichs. Oh well, now we just have to wait for that tournament. With $10 million dollars I could get that new plasma television I've always wanted..." Grandpa walked out of the kitchen, still listing things to buy with the prize money.  
  
******************************************* Who is the man who organised this tournament? What are his intentions? Just what will be in the sandwich that kills Joey? Find out the answers (apart from the third) in the next chapter!  
  
PS: I really need to know which cards Yugi and Joey win and lose in Battle City as soon as possible, as I am planning to list their decks in the next chapter. 


	2. Preparations

Hey there! I'm really surprised by the number of reviews this story has already. It's only been 12 hours and I already have 6 reviews!  
  
I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my story and/or spent a bit of time filling me in on the cards Yugi and Joey won and lost in Battle City, especially Yoshimo. Thanks guys!  
  
Next I'd like to thank Squall Leonheart for letting me use his Millennium Item cards. You can see more of his cards in Wise Man Domingo's story Eternal Duelist Soul. Also I'd like to thank Dude for his card, The Norseman Beserker.  
  
This is my second version of this chapter. I made a halfhearted attempt to fix the formatting. I just have to face the fact that Wordpad just wasn't designed with the Internet in mind. It's really frustrating.  
  
***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium***  
***Chapter 2: Preparations***  
  
"Hey Yug! Check it out! I got my acceptance letter for the tournament!" Joey shoved a crumpled letter into Yugi's small hands. "Go ahead and read it!" He smiled and looked expectantly at Yugi. They were in the Game Store and it was an early Sunday morning. It was, in fact, 7:30, a time of day Joey had probably never heard of before.  
  
Yugi took the letter and unfolded it, then began to read aloud some of the more interesting parts.  
  
Dear Mister Joey Wheeler, I am pleased to inform you that your registration for my tournament has been fully processed and your account on our tournament database is ready to be activated. Due to extensive research on your previous tournament placings we have deemed you the 3rd most acomplished duelist in this tournament.  
  
Yugi stopped at this and looked up at Joey. "Wow! You're doing better than I thought!" After the compliment Yugi resumed reading.  
  
"Enclosed you will find your first progression card, vital for reaching the finals. There are five different varities of the progression card and you must collect all five to continue to Round 2. More information on Round 2 will be distributed apon acomplishment of the collection of the five progression cards. This cards may not be used during this tournament, but are perfectly legal in normal tournaments."  
  
Yugi skipped past some more text but slowed down and started to read aloud again at an interesting part.  
  
"When you arrive at the tournament you will be required to present a signature card to activate your account. Your signature card is Red-Eyes Black Dragon. This is simply a procedure to authenticate your account and confirm that you are who you say. This is due to recent events containing imposters who pose as great duelists."  
  
"Oh yeah, I heard about that happening in the news." Yugi commented casually. "Looks good Joey. So, can I see your new cards?" He looked at Joey hopefully.  
  
Joey grinned like he'd been waiting for Yugi to ask that question, which, truth be told, he probably had been. "'Course ya can Yug! Hang on, I'll get 'em." Joey pulled a small envelope out of his pocket, the same characteristic black as the invitation and acceptence letter. He carefully pulled two cards from the envelope and dropped them into Yugi's lap.  
  
Yugi looked at the first one and gasped. "These are the progression cards?" He was staring at a red card. A red Left Arm of the Forbidden One to be exact. Yugi then nodded his head, his golden bangs bouncing up and down. Joey guessed that Yami had made some kind of comment to Yugi. "I agree. It's a really clever system. The people who make it to Round 2 are rewarded with a full set of Exodia cards. This'll get people to try harder to win, and get them to find more duels quicker!"  
  
Yugi looked excited. "This'll be great!" He then looked at Joey's other card. Joey watched his violet eyes flick across the text of his card. Then Yugi looked up. "Wow! This is an awesome card Joey! And it goes really well with your deck theme! Hey, let's go to the trading store and get some new cards while I wait for the post!" With this outburst Yugi ran upstairs to get ready.  
  
Joey looked at his card, stupified. "I have a deck theme?"  
  
***  
  
"Grandpa! I'm home!" Yugi called as he came into the shop. He'd been able to get some good cards by trading Arkana's Dark Magician. He hadn't wanted to but Joey had managed to convince him to. And Yugi had to agree that he'd gotten some very good cards for it.  
  
"Oh, Yugi, you're home. Did you have fun?" Grandpa asked kindly as he wiped his hands on a dishtowel. He'd been in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast.  
  
"Yeah, I got some great cards. Did the mail come yet?" Yugi asked eagerly. Grandpa nodded. "Did I get any-" Yugi stopped. What a stupid question. Of course he had mail. From countless fans.  
  
Grandpa laughed. "Yes Yugi, the acceptence letter has arrived. Here it is." He handed a black envelope to Yugi.  
  
Yugi ran into the kitchen, shouting "Thanks Grandpa!". He opened the letter and read it carefully. It was almost the same as Joey's except that he was ranked number 1 and that his signature card was the Dark Magician. Then he retrieved the smaller envelope from the letter and opened it carefully. The first card that fell out was an Exodia the Forbidden One. Yugi pulled the other one out. He'd only just seen the picture when alarm bells started to ring in his mind.  
  
'Can you see this Yami?' Yugi asked uncertainly.  
  
'Indeed. It seems someone knows what we possess.' Yami's tone was grave.  
  
Yami emerged from Yugi, in his spirit form, and both of them looked at the card. It was the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
***  
  
Ryou looked at the envelope sitting on the doorstep. It was probably the confirmation letter for the tournament he'd been invited to a week ago. He bent down and picked it up, then walked inside to read it.  
  
He sat down on his bed, pushing aside the deck he'd been modifying. He carefully slid his finger along the top of the envelope, tearing it cleanly open. His slender fingers reached inside and pulled out the letter. Apparently he was ranked 5th on the list of duelists attending. Ryou guessed the better ones than him were Yugi, Kaiba, Malik and Joey, probably in that order. His signature card was Dark Necrofear. That was great. Didn't the organiser know that he'd lost it to Yugi?  
  
'Looks like I'll have to try and find another one. Those cards are very hard to obtain though.' Ryou thought miserably. 'I can get one for you, if you'll only let me...' A sneering voice echoed through his head. Ryou gasped. He hadn't heard that voice in over a year, except for in his dreams. He got up quickly and looked around before talking clearly and slowly.  
  
"Go away. You cause me nothing but pain, anguish and suffering. I would never let you take control of me just to get in a tournament. Actually, I would never let you take control of me period." Ryou's voice was softly spoken, yet commanding. The Spirit of the Ring guessed he'd been preparing for this in case he came back.  
  
Ryou listened again, but nothing could be heard. He knew the Spirit was trying to lull him into a false sense of security. But he'd been practising using mental barriers with Yami for the last eight months, so it would be a lot harder for the Spirit to gain control of him this time. Because of projecting the mental barrier for weeks on end, though, Ryou was permanently tired these days. He knew that he'd need to have at least 48 hours without any mental protection, and that he'd have to do it soon. Hopefully, when that time came, he'd have all his friends to help make sure that the Spirit didn't do anything. Ryou yawned. He could worry about that later. Right now he needed to sleep. He was worn out from his brief conversation with the Spirit. It was much harder to talk through the mental barrier. Ryou got changed and went to bed. He knew he could sleep tonight without fear of losing control to the spirit because his mental barrier was still strong. Maybe tomorrow he could ask Ishizu if she could help.  
  
Within minutes Ryou was sound asleep, so he failed to notice the Ring glow. The Spirit emerged in his non-corporeal form. He walked over to the envelope but was unable to touch it, due to the fact that he was completely spiritual. He cursed softly in his native language. If he could get control of Ryou for just half an hour, it would be enough. He'd learnt many things during his imprisonment in the Shadow Realm. Many things...  
  
***  
  
Yugi looked through his deck and yawned. It had been a hard day, and he'd spent a lot of it worrying about the Millennium Puzzle card. Eventually Yami had convinced him not to worry, and that they would face whatever was coming together. So Yugi had gone into his room to read the rules and re- build his deck. He glanced at the Rulings Sheet again. It read:  
  
The rules for this tournament will follow the basic rules of Battle City except for minor differences. They are listed below.  
  
-The maximum deck size is 50 cards.  
-The starting life points of each duelist will be 8000.  
-Monsters that are Special Summoned may attack on the turn they are summoned.  
-You may play and activate as many magic or trap cards per turn as you wish.  
-Monsters with nine Level Stars or more require 3 tributes to Normal Summon them.  
-Certain monsters that require specific parameters to be filled to be summoned may be placed in the Fusion Deck. An example of this is the Dark Sage. Due to it's special summoning requirements you are allowed to place it in your Fusion Deck instead of your Main Deck. Monsters placed in the Fusion Deck in this way are NOT considered Fusion Monsters. These monsters may be placed in the Fusion Deck:  
Dark Sage  
Dark Magician's Knight  
Mirage Knight  
Valkyrion the Magna Warrior  
Larvae Moth  
Great Moth  
Perfectly Evolved Great Moth  
Gate Guardian  
Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon  
Metalzoa  
Nosferatu Lich  
Exodia Necros  
Berserk Dead Dragon  
Eternal Being of the Light  
Zenobria Unleashed  
  
All other rules remain the same as in Battle City, including the card ante rule.  
  
Yugi yawned again and put the last card into his deck. He then looked at the deck plan he had drawn up on a sheet of paper.  
  
Yugi Moto's Heart of the Cards Deck  
  
Monsters  
3 Tribute Monsters  
Slifer the Sky Dragon  
2 Tribute Monsters  
Dark Magician  
Buster Blader  
Gilford the Lightning  
1 Tribute Monsters  
Summoned Skull  
Dark Magician Girl  
Gilfar Demon  
Beast of Talwar  
Jack's Knight  
No Tribute Monsters  
Breaker the Mage Knight  
Tenacious Old Magician  
Alpha the Magnet Warrior  
Beta the Magnet Warrior  
Gamma the Magnet Warrior  
Mask of Darkness  
Spear Cretin  
Spear Cretin  
Yatagarasu  
Queen's Knight  
King's Knight  
Big Shield Gardna  
Kuriboh  
Special Summoned Monsters  
Dark Necrofear  
Total: 23  
  
Magic  
Normal Magic  
Change of Heart  
Card Destruction  
Graceful Charity  
Revival of Energies  
Polymerization  
Harpie's Feather Duster  
Monster Reborn  
Raigeki  
Pot of Greed  
Exchange  
Swords of Revealing Light  
Tribute to the Doomed  
Mystic Boxes  
Instant Magic  
Mystical Space Typhoon  
Multiply  
Dimension Magic  
Continuous Magic  
Spellbinding Circle  
Lifeline  
Millennium Puzzle  
Equipment Magic  
Premature Burial  
United We Stand  
Total: 21  
  
Traps  
Normal Traps  
Itiqua's Gale  
Negate Attack  
Mirror Force  
Bottomless Trap Hole  
Magic Cylinder  
Counter Traps  
Horn of Heaven  
Total: 6  
  
Deck Size: 50  
  
Yugi smiled with satisfaction and put his deck on the bedside table. Now he was ready.  
  
***  
  
Joey had done a similar thing, as Yugi had shown him that it helped you organise your deck. He sat in the middle of his room surrounded by hundreds of cards. It was 3:47 in the morning. Joey kept telling himself he had a month and a half to organise his deck, and to finish it tomorrow. But he refused to. He had to get it done.  
  
His piece of paper looked like this:  
***Joey's Champion Prize Winning 'Roll of the Dice' Deck***  
Monsters (* are cool cards)  
Gearfried the Iron Knight *  
Knight of Aquasky  
The Norseman Berserker * (Psycho)  
Jinzo * (Me like)  
Fortress Whale  
Panther Warrior *  
Alligator Sword  
Copycat  
Baby Dragon  
Swordsman of Landstar *  
Altimeter Warrior  
7 Coloured Fish  
Rocket Warrior  
Sun Warrior *  
Insect Queen * (Weevil's card, not cool)  
Sangan *  
Witch of the Black Forest *  
Red-Eyes Black Dragon **** (AWESOME!!!)  
Goddess with the Third Eye (Freaky)  
Time Wizard * (Yeah! My old friend!)  
Eternal Child of Light (eternal life! I wish I had that)  
Goddess of Whim *  
Jirai Gumo (Dangerous!)  
Dice Pot (This guy RULES!)  
  
Magic/Trap Cards  
Waboku (I'd rather have Yug's Negate Attack)  
Shield and Sword  
Vow of the Great Whale  
Pot of Greed (wish I had 3. I'm greedy)  
Gaia Power  
Dark Hole  
Magic Arm Shield (Cool, cool, cool)  
Overwhelming Forces (little guys untie! I mean unite)  
Graverobber  
Kunai Whip Chain  
Skull Dice  
Trap Hole  
Monster Reborn  
Polymerization  
Devil Comedian (he ain't so funny. 'specially if I screw up)  
Graceful Dice (my awesomest magic card ever!)  
Axe of Despair (chop chop)  
Scapegoat (pantherfood)  
Seven Tools of the Bandit (hey! that's my lucky number! or was it 478?)  
Quiz  
Heavy Storm  
Blind Destruction (he needs glasses)  
Traveller's Riddle  
Time Capsule  
The Reverse Quiz  
Die of Fate (sorry Gracy! THIS is my best magic card)  
  
Joey finished modifying his deck and looked at his watch. "Oh man! It's 5:00! Or is that a 3?"  
  
***************************************  
  
Well, there's the end of that chapter. Hope you guys like it! Now I kinda need to know what cards Bakura won/lost. Can anyone help me out? 


	3. Emergence

Hi everyone! How y'all been? Hope you're all well!  
  
***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium***  
Chapter 3: Emergence  
  
"So Yugi, are you ready for the tournament? It's only a week away you know." Ryou was talking with Yugi at their lunchtable in the school cafeteria. Yugi was showing Ryou his new deck structure.  
  
Yugi laughed in his soft voice. "Sure Bakura. I was ready a month ago. You're in it, aren't you? You still haven't told me what card you received." He stopped talking when he noticed that Ryou was staring at one of his cards. "What's the matter Bakura?"  
  
Ryou's voice was oddly strained as he showed Yugi the card. "This. The Millennium Puzzle. Why didn't you tell me about this? Someone obviously knows about your connection with Yami and Ancient Egypt." Yugi noticed that Bakura looked pale and worried.  
  
'He looks exhausted. That mental barrier Yami's been teaching him about must take a lot the energy out of him.' Yugi noted. He then looked at Ryou. "Why? Did you get one? The Ring?" Yugi realised he was whispering secretively. Ryou shook his head. "You... didn't get one? Maybe they're after only the Puzzle."  
  
Ryou shook his head. Then he whispered to Yugi, "No, I didn't get one. I got two."  
  
Yugi stared at him incredulously. "Two? But if we're getting cards that represent our Items then why did you get two?" Yugi was puzzled. Why did Bakura get two?  
  
"Yugi, Yami's been teaching me a lot about the mental and spiritual link that we have with our Yami. I progressed past the mental barrier about three weeks back. So Yami began to teach me how to retrieve memories from periods when I blacked out. When my Yami was in control." Ryou shuddered. After a moment he continued. "I've been going through my memory backwards, from the end of Battle City. Last night I got to the end of Duelist Kingdom."  
  
Yugi stared at him. No wonder he was so exhausted! Yugi was glad he didn't have to go through that with Yami. "And?" Yugi prompted, hoping to get an answer.  
  
"Pegasus. He killed Pegasus. Ripped his eye out... It was horrible. I need to go see Ishizu tonight. She's good with the past. I need her to clarify some things for me Yugi. And Shadi is occasionally with her. He would be most helpful." Yugi noticed Bakura's abrupt change in subject, but left it alone. He'd heard enough to realise what had happened. Bakura had two cards. The Eye and the Ring.  
  
'Poor Bakura. Having to go through what his Yami has done must be torture. He'll send himself insane if he continues.' Yugi decided that Bakura needed help urgently. He placed his hand on Bakura's back comfortingly. "You have to stop it Bakura. You're going to go crazy." Bakura looked at him strangely and grabbed the front of Yugi's schoolshirt.  
  
"You don't understand Yugi," Bakura's voice was hoarse, a rasping sound that sent shivers up Yugi's spine. "I can't help it. Every night I go to my room, lie down and... see. He's doing this to me Yugi, it's him!" Bakura's voice got louder and louder, and Yugi noticed that people at other tables were starting to look at them.  
  
"Bakura, calm down. Let's go outside and talk." He gripped Bakura's arm and lead him outside, Bakura stumbling over objects he didn't see as he continued to mutter under his voice. Yugi lead him to the shade of a gnarled oak tree and they sat down. "Okay Bakura, shoot."  
  
Bakura turned to Yugi, who noticed uncomfortably that his eyes were glazed and vacant-looking. "Yugi, he shows me what he's done. It's deliberate. Yami might have trained me in the art of mental protection but he's been around for 4000 years, Yugi! He was banished to a place beyond the Shadow Realm during his duel with Malik. There he met... others. Adepts. Darkness incarnate. Each and every one of them banished by someone or another. They taught him many abilities. He learned quickly. Soon the others realised that he was different. They spent six months teaching him about astral projection, an art mastered by very few. Usually it would take at least a century of intense practise to get even the basic ability. My Yami, he mastered it in six months."  
  
Bakura's voice rose in pitch, becoming high and frightened. "Six months Yugi! He told me it was because he still had a mystical connection to this realm. The Millennium Ring. He's still trapped in the other realm, but his trickery and mental prowess has radically improved. If he'd been banished to the Shadow Realm he could have easily returned. He did it before in Duelist Kingdon. Maybe even if he was three realms away. But the dark realm is very far away. He is having trouble breaking through my barrier. But I'm weakinging Yugi. Unless I do something soon he'll come back. Not even Malik will be able to stop him." Bakura disintegrated into incoherent sobs. Yugi made a decision. He had to take him to Shadi.  
  
'Yami! You heard all that?' Yugi asked Yami telepathically.  
  
'Yes. I will try to contact Shadi. Please wait.' Yami sounded worried as well.  
  
Yugi sat by Bakura and gradually calmed him down. Eventually, ten minutes later, he heard Yami calling to him. 'Yugi, I've contacted Shadi. He will be at Ishizu's home. Come after school...'  
  
***  
  
Yugi and Bakura arrived at Ishizu and Malik's mansion. Bakura turned to Yugi. "Thank you for doing this for me Yugi. I didn't know how to ask Ishizu for help." Bakura said gratefully.  
  
Yugi just smiled and walked up to the door. He pressed the intercom and it crackled. "Um, this is Yugi Moto. I'm here to see Ishizu." When he let go of the intercom he heard a secretary's voice.  
  
"Certainly Mr. Moto. Ms. Ishtar has been expecting you. Please wait." Yugi waited until he heard the door unlock, then pushed it open.  
  
"Come on Bakura. Let's go see Shadi." Yugi walked inside, followed eagerly by Bakura.  
  
***  
  
"Yugi! How have you been? It's been so long since I saw you last!" Ishizu embraced Yugi warmly, then followed with an almost as friendly hug with Ryou. Ryou couldn't help but notice the strong attraction he'd felt when they'd hugged. He also noticed that he got a strange buzzing feeling whenever he looked at her chest. This disturbed him at first, but then he realised something which disturbed him even more. He didn't care at all about her. All he cared about was what was hanging above her chest. Her necklace.  
  
With this realization Ryou started to feel distinctly worried. His Yami was influencing him. More so than ever before. "Where's Shadi? He was going to help me." Ryou's voice was quiet and inoffensive.  
  
A quiet, yet commanding voice floated over his shoulder. "I am here. As I promised." The sudden voice caused Ryou to jump. "Come with me. I will cure your ailment." He started to walk down the hall.  
  
"Wait. I'm not sick. I'm-" Ryou was cut off in midsentence.  
  
"I know. I will cure you." Shadi turned around and strode away, Ryou hurrying to catch up to him.  
  
Ishizu offered Yugi a seat. "Please sit down. We have much to talk about." Yugi accepted the offer and they spent the next half an hour reminiscing, gossiping and generally having a nice conversation. But eventually the conversation turned to the upcoming tournament.  
  
"So, Ishizu. I heard you had entered the tournament. Is it true?" Yugi asked curiously. He actually hadn't but he had a feeling she would have received an invitation. He had given her necklace back about six months ago. She had been using it in some magic research.  
  
Ishizu chuckled. "You have heard no such thing Yugi. You are trying to find out if was sent a Millennium Item card without causing any alarm. And, yes, I did get one."  
  
Yugi was astonished at her level of perception. "You're good, you know that?"  
  
Ishizu nodded solemnly. "You have good reason to be worried. My brother said that he sensed something coming. Something dark. He too received a Millennium Item card." She was about to say more when Shadi re-emerged with Ryou in tow.  
  
"It is done. Now go. So many items in one place is far too dangerous." Shadi was abrupt in his warning. Yugi thought it was strange, but decided to comply.  
  
"Let's go Bakura."  
  
***  
  
Ryou sat on his bed, fingering the Ring. Shadi had replenished his barriers so there was no chance that the spirit could return. Not for a long time.  
  
'Good thing too. I had almost gone insane.' Ryou got into bed, pulled up the covers and fell asleep within minutes. About ten minutes later he woke back up and sat up in his bed. Or so an outsider would think. But look at him hard enough and you would notice that his hair was more angular, his eyes more evil. Yami Bakura was back.  
  
"Fool. Did he really think he could stop me? And thanks to Shadi lowering his barrier to recharge his etheric energies, my re-birth has taken place quicker than I thought. Now the fun begins." He looked through Ryou's deck. "Fool! He's changed it! If only Yugi had given Ra to my host instead of that fool Wheeler! He can't even speak heiretic. Ryou knows heiretic, why not give it to him?" Then a thoughtful look cast itself across Bakura's face.  
  
"Hmm, I think I'll go celebrate my return. I'll tell everyone the news. Wheeler first..." Bakura started to chuckle manically, an idea hatching in his evil mind.  
  
**********************  
  
There we go, now Bakura is back. 


	4. Tournament's Start

Sorry, I was kinda brief last time. I'm not too sure what to say, except that I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed for spending their time to comment on my story. And I'd also like to say that Yami Bakura is sticking around, at least for a while. And I've had a great idea for my tournament. I'm going to use the DeckMaster system that was used in the Noa story-arc. This will change the tournament slightly from the regular dueling system.  
  
Anyway, let's get started.  
  
***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium***  
Chapter 4: A Tournament's Start  
  
"WHAT?! WHERE'S MY GOD CARD?! IT'S GONE!" Joey flung the bed covers onto the floor and scrabbled under his bed. "It was in my deck! Where could it have disappeared to?"  
  
Somehow, overnight, Joey's Winged Dragon of Ra card had vanished from his deck, even though it had been tucked under his arm during the night. Granted, it wasn't real, but that was beside the point. The point was that someone obviously knew about the God Cards and had managed to swipe the card from under his nose, or arm, as it may be. He'd definately have to tell Yugi about this.  
  
*************  
  
Ryou looked at his deck with some apprehension. There was something wrong with it, something just out of reach of his concious mind. It was somehow... different. He placed it on his desk and walked outside. He was going to the trading store to try and get a Dark Necrofear because he needed it to get into the tournament. If he couldn't find one then he would borrow Yugi's.  
  
Ryou was halfway down the path from his front door when it hit him. The difference in his deck. It was the Ouuja Board.  
  
He ran back inside to look at his card. With a trembling hand he shuffled through his deck and pulled the card out. If he was right then that could only mean one thing. He looked at the card. Where was it? There, in the corner. A fingerprint. A bloody fingerprint.  
  
Ryou suddenly felt queasy. This could only mean one thing. His yami was back.  
  
'Yes, Ryou, I am. And if you tell anyone before it is time I will kill them all.' Ryou jumped. The voice was echoing through his mind.  
  
Ryou spoke aloud. "You! How did you come back?"  
  
A snicker and then a cold voice replied, 'You don't need to know. All you need to know is that if you tell anyone about me I will kill them. And you know I will.' The voice was deep and threatening.  
  
Ryou gulped. He knew that his Yami wasn't kidding.  
  
'I may have trouble taking you over again due to your protection but it will become depleted. And then...' The spirit's voice trailed off ominously.  
  
Ryou waited. When the voice failed to come again he grabbed his bag and hurried out the door. He needed to see Ishizu.  
  
*********************  
  
Ryou looked gloomily out of the aeroplane's window. He hadn't managed to work up the nerve to ask Ishizu for help, in case the Spirit made good on his word. Then he glanced down at his deck. As a final symbol of rejection and hate Ryou had dismantled his deck and was now rebuilding it, clean of the Spirit's terrible aura of hatred.  
  
It was going to be a spirit deck. He'd packed it with rare spirit monsters, and lots of cards to support them. He also included the Millennium Ring and Millennium Eye, much as he had wanted to throw them away. They were just too good.  
  
He was sitting next to Yugi during the flight across the Pacific to Singapore. There they would swap planes and continue on to their destination, Sydney, Australia.  
  
He stared out of the window at the endless blanket of cloud that ran underneath them. Behind him he could here snatches of conversation from his fellow passangers.  
  
"No way, Tris, I'm gonna win this-"  
  
"Watch out Tsunami. My bugs are hungry!"  
  
"Fat chance Rex. You're about as likely to win as Joey is to turn down food!"  
  
"Wait until you see what I've got in store for you."  
  
"Bakura, Bakura. Hey! Bakura!" Bakura woke with a start as Yugi stopped shaking his arm. He must have drifted off to sleep during the flight.  
  
"Yes Yugi?"  
  
"It's time to get off. We're in Singapore. We have to switch over now." Yugi grabbed his bag and ran down the aisle. Ryou slowly stood up and picked up his backpack. He dropped his deck into it and walked off the plane.  
  
****************  
  
Eight hours later, they were in Sydney Airport. Yugi watched in amusement as Mai chased Joey around the airport, shouting at him about being a pervert. Apparently he had mistaken Mai's lingerie case for his bag of snacks and had dived into it eagerly as soon as they got off the plane.  
  
"JOEY WHEELER, YOU GET YOUR PERVERTED BUTT BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!! I WANT AN EXPLANATION AND APOLOGY!!"  
  
Yugi turned away from the free entertainment and noticed someone in a black trenchcoat approaching them. He had a shiny, interlocked 'KC' on his collar.  
  
"Hey guys! It's a Kaiba Corp. employee!" He turned back to the man. As he approached Yugi got a better look at his face. He had a goatee, and thick black eyebrows. He lifted up a silver briefcase and opened it. Inside were several sets of earpieces and microphones. Yugi looked at them curiously. "What are these?"  
  
"These are Kaiba's latest innovation, DigiTech Translators. They can translate over fifteen different languages. The competitors in the tournament will be the test subjects for it, as there are many different nationalities and languages that you may encounter duelists using during this tournament."  
  
He took one out and handed it to Yugi. Yugi looked at it. The ear-piece looked like a big metal ear muff, with a small LCD screen at the bottom. Yugi turned it on and saw that it was already set to translate English to Japanese. He clipped it onto his ear and was suddenly aware that he could fully understand the announcements being broadcast around the airport. He had known a little English before, but not much.  
  
"HEY GUYS!" shouted Yugi loudly. Everyone stopped to see what the matter was. Yugi didn't often shout.  
  
"What's up, Yug?" Joey wandered up to him unconcernedly.  
  
"These are translators from Kaiba Corp. As participants in the tournament we get to test them before Kaiba releases them to the public. They're really cool!" Yugi looked around.  
  
"Hey! There's an eyepiece so we can read in English too! Pretty neat, huh, Joey?"  
  
Joey muttered an unhappy agreement. He hated having to say anything of Kaiba's was good.  
  
Yugi pulled out the preliminary instruction letter he had received on the plane. His violet eyes roved over the information as he searched for a certain part.  
  
"It says we've got to go to a place called the Sydney BattleDome. Let's go guys." Yugi picked up his luggage and ran out the line of waiting taxis. Grandpa laughed at his enthusiasm and followed Yugi, though at a slightly slower place.  
  
***********  
  
They ended up filling three taxis. Yugi, Grandpa, Tea and Bakura were in the first, Joey, Mai, Rex and Weevil were in the second (with Mai insisting she sat in the front, to be away from the boys) and Bandit Keith, Mako Tsunami and unlucky Tristen stuck in the last one. Needless to say, the third would not have been fun, what with the amount of arguing between Keith and Mako about the other's preferred playing style. Of course, Tristen happened to be stuck in between them.  
  
The second taxi had been little better, with snide comments flying thick and fast between Weevil and Joey or Mai and Rex.  
  
Yugi yawned and stretched as he hopped out of the taxi. It had been a nice drive, but he was eager to stretch his legs after the flight. He looked around. It was a fine, sunny day and a slight breeze blew through the trees, making them sway gently. It was very quiet, due to the fact that all roads to the BattleDome had been closed off, and most duelists were already inside the BattleDome.  
  
They were pretty much the only ones left outside. Yugi glanced at his watch worriedly.  
  
"We're late. I hope they haven't started yet."  
  
Mai snorted derisively. "I seriously doubt if the tournament will start without the world champion." She looked around at the group of duelists. "Besides, there are-" Mai started counting on her fingers. "-There are 4 world class duelists here alongside you. Joey, Mako, Bakura and of course, me. They won't have started yet." She walked haughtily towards the BattleDome.  
  
***************  
  
On top of the BattleDome a lone man stared into the sky. The sun glinted off his expensive mirrored sunglasses. His trench coat whipped around him in a frenzy by the turbulent winds that buffeted him roughly. The man's suspicions were confirmed when a helicopter flew out of the sun's glare. Kaiba had arrived.  
  
As the helicopter landed on the helipad Seto pulled the pilot's headset off his head and dropped it on the seat. The cockpit opened and Mokuba jumped out. He had a silver and black vest and a strange helmet with a clear green visor that dropped over his face. His long, black hair was blowing wildly in the dying hurricane of the helicopter's slowly stopping blades. He pulled his deck out of a holder clipped to his belt and slotted it into the DuelDisk that was attached to his arm. Then he ran gleefully to the lift that lead down to the main area.  
  
"Come on Seto!" shouted Mokuba in an urgent voice. "We'll miss the start of the tournament!"  
  
Seto climbed out of the helicopter and picked up his case, then walked to the lift.  
  
As they descended Seto muttered softly to himself.  
  
"Watch out Yugi. With two Kaibas in this tournament your chances have dropped considerably."  
  
"Did you say something Seto?" Mokuba glanced at Seto questioningly.  
  
Seto smirked coldly.  
  
"No Mokuba. I didn't say a thing..."  
  
*****************  
  
A young European woman stared down at a strange-looking device that was sitting in her hand. It was a weaved-wire globe, that had golden beads on each section of wire. The wire was strung through the middle as well, and here the golden beads were shifting, sliding up and down the length of the wires gently. The whole device had a slight glow, giving it a mystical quality. There were seven beads inside and, as she watched, they all shifted to the very centre of the globe and shone brightly.  
  
She looked up at the BattleDome in interest.  
  
"How curious. It seems that all seven of the Sennen Items are inside this very structure." She watched a bead on the outer layer of the globe slide slowly around the entire length of the globe continuously. "And my target seems to be there as well. How very fortunate."  
  
She shook her long auburn hair and tightned her DuelDisk slightly. Her target had finally stopped it's travelling long enough for her to catch up. Now she would make sure to seal it away as her ancestors had done so long ago...  
  
**************  
  
Yugi watched the giant plasma screen flicker slightly as the Industrial Illusions logo appeared on it, followed by the interlocked 'KC' that represented KaibaCorp. It flickered again and a man in his late thirties appeared. He had long, blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, and bright green eyes.  
  
"Welcome to the Tournament of the Millennia! It is an elite tournament which has been organised for the best duelists from around the world, namely you."  
  
"This tournament is world-class and, as such, will play a very big role in improving your ranking in the world of Duel Monsters. The winner will be declared the greatest duelist in the world. Along with this honour and prestiege there are also a lot of excellent cards at stake. It will be a wonderful chance to improve your decks and your reputations, so use this opportunity wisely."  
  
Yugi stared at the man on screen. Something felt "wrong" about him, and Yugi couldn't quite pin it down. He also thought it strange that this man hadn't given an introduction. It was most likely Thomas Harris, but no-one knew who he was, so it was impossible to tell.  
  
"Now, onto an important matter. There has been a rule change which none of you have been informed of, since it was only changed last night. A new twist has been thrown into this tournament, just to make it exciting. A select few of you may have played a certain virtual-reality game in which duels took place using the Deckmaster System. This is the system we will use."  
  
Joey looked down at his deck. It had been a while ago, but he remembered it well. The Big 5 had captured them in a virtual world for the second time, with that crazy computer kid Noa.  
  
"What this entails is that before each duel you will select a monster in your deck and remove it from the duel. This monster will fight by your side and advise you, as well as lend you some rather handy abilities they gain from being in the Deckmaster Position. They can enter the duel to fight for you, but be warned, because if your Deckmaster leaves the field you instantly LOSE THE GAME."  
  
The giant face grew serious as it began to explain the rules in greater depth.  
  
"Your Deckmaster stays beside you for the entire duel, to help and support you. The only time it will leave your side is if you summon it onto the field. When it is beside you it is referred to as being in the Deckmaster Position. Because this is a special position your Deckmaster can't be affected by ANY card effects, whether they be your's or your opponent's."  
  
"Each Deckmaster has their own unique effect on the game, save one: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It's previous effect was that a monster it was fused into could attack on their first turn, but this rule has been abolished for this tournament, making it's ability effectively useless."  
  
"Other than the Blue-Eyes every monster has an effect. The effect is gauged by the rarity, stats and any effects of the card, although it is impossible to work out most Deckmasters' effects. When you select your Deckmaster it will not initially inform you of it's effect. It will only reveal it's effect after a certain period of time. This period is noticably longer for the monsters with better effects, although the attitudes of the monster towards it's owner may make it inclined to reveal or withhold the information at different times."  
  
"This adds a new aspect to the game, because if you treat you monster well and look after it there is a greater chance of getting the requisite information faster. Your DuelDisk will beam the status of every monster you play to the mainframe right here. This means that if you swap your Deckmaster for another that has been treated well and protected in previous games then it's trust for you will be much higher than one you simply use as bait for traps."  
  
"Your Deckmaster will stay with you at all times, even once the duels have finished. They will be your companion for the tournament, and for those of you who progress to the next round, will be useful allies."  
  
"There are certain monsters that cannot be used as Deckmasters, namely, Fusion and Ritual Monsters. Monsters with a Special Summon Requirement may be used as Deckmasters, but may only come to the field once their summon requirements have been successfully fulfilled."  
  
Yugi noticed a lot of people looking through their deck, to select their perfect partner. Luckily, Yugi already knew the effect of 3 of his monsters: Kuriboh, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. That gave him a significant advantage over others. When this was combined with the fact that he had all 3 God Cards in his possession, it made him an even more forbiddable opponent than before.  
  
"During your own Main Phase you may Special Summon your Deckmaster onto the field, but once it has entered the field it may not return to the Deckmaster Position. Also, cards that are activated due to a monster being summoned may not be activated when the Deckmaster is summoned onto the field. You must note that summoning your Deckmaster can be very risky, due to the fact that it leaves them completely exposed to anything your opponent throws at you."  
  
"There is one more thing I must say about the Deckmaster while it is on the field. There is one time it may leave the field and that is when you fuse it to create a new monster, or use it for certain effects, like using the Baby Dragon to bring out the Thousand Dragon. The new monster is now counted as your Deckmaster, so you lose if the fused monster leaves the field."  
  
"Next, progressing. Every time you participate in a duel you must put at least one piece of Exodia on the line. If you lose you must give your piece, along with your rarest card, to the duel's winner. The first 32 people to collect the 5 seperate pieces of Exodia will progress to the next round, but more information will be distributed to those people apon their progression."  
  
"Until then, spread throughout the city and enjoy the tournament. The first round will run for 3 days, and begins at 1:00. The time is now 12:00, so in one hour I expect to see some action. Until the next round, goodbye."  
  
The screen went black and people began to wander outside. Yugi turned to Joey and the rest of them.  
  
"Well, I'll see you guys at the hotel in a while then, unless I meet you somewhere in the city." Yugi said cheerfully to his friends.  
  
"You'd better hope not. 'Cause I don' wanna hafta eliminate you before you get to the next round, Yug." Joey joked. He then waved and walked away.  
  
"Yeah. I'd better get going as well. Don't want that loser getting to far ahead of us." Mai strolled off, drawing several appreciative stares from male duelists as she passed.  
  
Ryou waved and jogged away in the opposite direction with Tristen.  
  
*********************  
  
That left only Tea and Grandpa with Yugi. They all strolled through the Dome and out into the surrounding city. When they reached a park the trio sat down on a bench and started discussing the merits of different Deckmasters.  
  
"I think he should stick with the Dark Magician because he knows what it can do."  
  
"But if he doesn't use other monsters he'll never discover new efffects."  
  
"Guys, I'll pick what to use."  
  
Yugi pulled out his deck and looked at his Dark Magician.  
  
"I think I'll stick with the Dark Magician, at least for the moment. It's effect is pretty useful."  
  
Yugi placed the Dark Magician into a reader that had opened on the opposite side of the DuelDisk to where field magic cards were placed.  
  
A blast of violet light emerged from the DuelDisk and dissipitated to reveal the Dark Magician. He swung around to stare at Yugi.  
  
"Master. How may I help you?" The Dark Magician's voice was calm and smooth, with a strange resonant quality. His turquoise eyes studied Yugi carefully. He knew his master well, for he was a kind and virtuous master, with a very strong link to the Shadow Realm and his real self.  
  
Yugi looked stunned. "Wow, they've updated the programming. I don't remember the Deckmasters being able to talk." (I haven't seen the Noa story arc, so I have no idea whether they were actually capable of talking in the show.)  
  
"Come on. Let's go find a good opponent to duel. There's bound to be one somewhere."  
  
The four walked through a grove of trees, into the centre of the park. Yugi noticed a crowd of people gathered around two figures in a shady area of trees. One of them looked vaugely familiar.  
  
As Yugi walked closer he saw that one duelist's Deckmaster was a Spikebot, while the other was using Jirai Gumo. The one using Jirai Gumo had vivid blue hair and large glasses. It was Weevil!  
  
Yugi, Tea, Grandpa and DM got close enough to here the banter. It seemed that the duel was just starting. Yugi looked at his watch. 1:01. They hadn't taken long to find a duel.  
  
*************  
  
Weevil sneered at the other boy as he drew his starting hand and browsed it. It was perfect for what he needed. Of course it was, since he had secretly placed the top ten cards in a specific order, guaranteed to get good results.  
  
"Hah, watch this! I'll summon the Pinch Hopper (1000/1200) in Defense Mode."  
  
A small grasshopper appeared on the grass in front of Weevil.  
  
"Now I'll play Dark Hole to destroy my Pinch Hopper!"  
  
The other duelist spluttered in surprise.  
  
"What! What did you do that for?!"  
  
Weevil snickered cruelly.  
  
"When Pinch Hopper dies it allows me to summon any monster in my hand. So I'll summon Giant Mantis (2900/2100)! It also gains 100 Atk from my Pinch Hopper being in the Graveyard! Next, I'll play Quick Attack! This allows my Giant Mantis to attack first turn, and without the pesky Tribute that is normally required for it to attack!"  
  
A giant green preying mantis replaced the Pinch Hopper and rubbed it's front legs together, making a threatening cricking sound.  
  
"Next I'll play Life Shortening Cards, allowing me to draw 5 new cards! And they're just what I need. I'll equip my Giant Mantis with Plasma Insect Armour and Laser Cannon Armour, increasing it's attack to 4000!"  
  
Two beams of light flew around the giant bug and formed a long, glowing cannon on it's back, with two smaller cannons sitting on it's shoulders.  
  
"Next I'll play Second Coin Toss and activate my Deckmaster's effect!" cried Weevil triumphantly.  
  
"No way! How could you have worked it out so fast?" the smaller boy wondered aloud.  
  
"All that talk about treating your monster with respect is just that- talk. I simply threatened to rip my Jirai Gumo's card in halve and it told me. It's very intelligent."  
  
Weevil laughed madly. "Jirai Gumo's effect doubles my insect's attack up to 8000, but there is a 50% chance that the attack will miss and I'll lose half my Life Points. But with Second Coin Toss that chance is reduced to 25%! Now, Giant Mantis, destroy him!" Weevil pointed directly at the other duelist.  
  
The mantis bent down, revealing the cannon on it's back to the young duelist. All three cannons began to glow a furious green. Suddenly a sizzling green bolt of energy lanced from the tip of the barrels and struck the boy. The recoil pushed the bug back about ten metres.  
  
Weevil cackled as the smoke cleared to reveal a defeated duelist. He deactivated his DuelDisk and walked over to the boy.  
  
"Your Exodia piece please! And your rareset card. Hmm, only a Flame Cerebrus. How disappointing." Weevil picked up the card and tore it in half. "I have no need for it."  
  
The boy cried out in anguish and the entire crowd booed and shouted angrily at Weevil.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!"  
  
"Why didn't you just give it back?!"  
  
"You suck, Underwood!"  
  
Weevil turned to the crowd to reply, but his reply was cut short when he saw the Datk Magician standing in the crowd.  
  
"Yugi Moto! I should have guessed you would be here! And using the Dark Magician as your Deckmaster, so predictable."  
  
Yugi's Millennium Puzzle flashed and Yami emerged.  
  
"Weevil! Your dirty tricks and underhanded tactics are cruel and heartless. It seems you have a penchant for causing others pain through the destruction of their possessions. Well Weevil, I challenge you to a duel!" Yami shouted as he pointed accusingly at Weevil.  
  
Weevil sneered and snickered a dry, cunning laugh.  
  
"Very well Yugi. But I think you will find me a tougher opponent than you believe me to be. I am far more skilled than when we duelled at Duelist Kingdom oh so long ago."  
  
Yami smiled coldly. "I too have improved. But enough talk. We will bet 1 card each on the duel's outcome. I will bet Exodia the Forbidden One."  
  
Weevil looked at his two cards.  
  
"As you wish Yugi. I will bet 1 piece as well. Now let's duel."  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
Next time, Yugi and Weevil go head to head in an exciting duel. Who will triumph? Find out in the next chapter of Tournament of the Millennia! 


	5. Yugi V Weevil 1: Rocking The Great Moth'...

__

Hi everyone! 

Sorry I haven't updated in a while but school is really dragging me down and sapping away my creativity. But luckily the mid-year break starts next week, so I can get a lot more done over the next 2 weeks!

**__**

NOTE: APPARENTLY FF.NET WON'T ALLOW THIS CHAPTER TO LOAD PROPERLY ON SOME SERVERS. ONLY THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE STORY WILL APPEAR.

__

I noticed something when I looked through my reviews that I found interesting. They were:

A. Nobody reading the story seems to like Yami Bakura (excluding Fuzzle)

B. Nobody likes Weevil. Period.

So I'd like to find out who the readers' most hated and loathed characters are, and why. I'd like to see the reasons why people hate them so much.

I'll start the ball rolling.

****

The character I hate the most in the entire show is Espa Roba. Why?

A. He looks like a girl.

B. He sounds like a girl.

C. He is a REAL cheater, unlike Weevil, who simply bends rules or plays with rigged advantages.

D. He is a really sore loser.

E. His deck kind of sucks. It has no real strategy.

Those are the reasons why I loathe and despise Espa so much, and would love nothing more than to throw him into the darkest pits of Hell itself.

And now it is your turn, Faithful Reader. Make your vote be heard!

Now, onto the story.

**********************************

****

***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium***

Chapter 5: Weevil Underwood vs Yugi Moto, Part 1: 

Rocking The Great Moth's World...

Yami glared at Weevil as he stepped into the ring of people surrounding the leafy clearing, followed by the Dark Magician, it's robes swaying amongst the leaves, but never actually moving them.

A man with a large, TV style video camera on his shoulder moved in to get a better view of Yami's face. The duel would be broadcast live around the world. All the duels would be on TV at some time or another. But of course, any duel with the great Yugi Moto and not-so-great-but-still-world-famous Weevil Underwood was definate live material. He motioned to a translator, who stood up and walked in front of the camera.

"OK, we're live in 3...2...1!" The translator motioned to the scene behind him, where Yami and Weevil were staring daggers at each other.

"This is the scene of a great forthcoming duel between the World Number 1 Duelist, Yugi Moto, and Regional Champion of Japan, Weevil Underwood. While it has been calculated that Weevil has 47:1 odds of defeating Yugi his previous duel, in which he managed to get a Level Eight monster onto the field and powered up to 8000 Atk in one turn, would show that he has some new tricks and strategies up his sleeve! I wouldn't rule him out just yet."

The camera panned over Yugi and zoomed in on the Dark Magician behind him, coming to focus on it's steady, unflinching face.

"It seems that Yugi's Deckmaster will be his signature card, the Dark Magician, while there is no clue as to the identity of Weevil's Deckmaster, though the previous duel suggests he may use Jirai Gumo, the Landmine Spider, as his Deckmaster. Wait, hang on!"

The reporter/translator turned to look at Yami, who had just placed his deck into his DuelDisk. Opposite him a giant, green preying mantis appeared beside Weevil.

"It seems that Weevil has chosen the Giant Mantis as his Deckmaster and they are about to duel. Since Yugi challenged Weevil, Weevil will start off."

(A/N: No more comments from the reporter now. We're back to Yugi and Weevil.)

Weevil drew his cards and grinned as he browsed through them. It was a good starting hand, with several key elements to his master plan.

"Alright Yugi, I'll start off by playing Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw 3 new cards." He pulled three cards from his deck and shoved two of the cards in his hand into the graveyard slot.

"Now I'll play Girochin Kuwagata in Attack Mode!" The Girochin Kuwagata (1700/1000) appeared on the field and snapped it's jaws menacingly. "Since I cannot attack this turn I'll pass."

Yami drew his 6 cards and studied them gravely. There were some very powerful monsters, but none he could summon. He also had a few trap cards and 1 magic card. He selected three cards from his hand and inserted them into their respective M/T slots.

"I'll place these 3 cards face-down and end my turn." Yami watched Weevil intently. If he took the bait and summoned his Giant Mantis for a direct attack he'd get a nice surprise.

Weevil drew his card and smirked. "Hah! I'll play the Termite Nest magic card!" A giant, red nest that looked a little like a big rock emerged from the ground. Yami stared at it in shock. 

"What is that?" He motioned to the nest. "Explain the meaning of this Weevil!"

Weevil cackled. "Gladly Yugi. It stops you from destroying any of my insect monsters with 1500 or less attack. So it's a perfect defense for my bugs." He then selected two cards from his hand. 

"Now watch as I create the greatest insect you will ever face! I'll place the Larvae Moth in Defense mode and tribute it to summon the Cocoon of Evolution! Now begins the six-turn countdown to your doom! And because of Termite Nest you won't be able to pop the cocoon any earlier than I plan!" He laughed madly again, his high, creepy voice echoing in the clearing.

"And don't think I'm finished Yugi. I'll also have Girochin Kuwagata attack your Life Points directly!" 

Yami calmly watched the bug leap towards him. Just as it was about to land he pressed a button and a multi-coloured barrier materialized in front of him. 

"I'll activate my Mirror Force trap card to destroy your Girochin Kuwagata. And it will also destroy your Cocoon of Evolution!" Yami shouted triumphantly. 

Weevil smirked. "Not quite Yugi. First you have to find it." As he spoke nine more nests rose from the ground in a cloud of dust. "My cocoon is in one of these nests. Take a guess and try your luck Yugi." 

Yami looked at the multitude of nests in concern. "Ten nests! Fine, I pick nest number 3!" 

The Girochin Kuwagata was launched at the third nest and landed on it with enough force to completely demolish the nest. Yami watched anxiously, not daring to hope he had hit the Cocoon of Evolution. Sadly, he had not.

"Too bad Yugi. But it's your turn."

Yami felt a headache coming on as he drew his new card. Another high-level monster. That made four high-level monsters and no low-level ones. He did have one move though.

"If the Cocoon is hidden in one of those nests then I'll just have to attack them all! I'll play Raigeki to destroy all the nests!" He pointed triumphantly at Weevil. "And without the Great Moth your defenses will fall like a card castle!"

Weevil watched the lightning bolts splash down onto all of the nests. Yami smirked as each was reduced to dust. But when the last nest crumbled into nothingness he saw the Cocoon of Evolution still standing. "What? But how-?!" 

Weevil looked shocked himself. "I don't know. I assume that Raigeki destroyed the nests, but since it was inside one it was protected from the attack. Interesting."

*********************

Seto glanced at his GPS system. So far, nothing.

"Where IS Yugi? I refuse to participate in this tournament until I defeat Yugi. Mokuba, have you found anything?" He glanced at his little brother, who looked slightly forlorn.

"No Seto. Sorry." His voice sounded miserable and unhappy.

Seto glanced at his brother. "What's the matter?"

Mokuba looked up at him. "It's nothing. I'm just being selfish. I know how much beating Yugi means to you. Just forget it." 

Just then Seto got a sudden hunch about the problem.

"You're anxious to go find a duel, aren't you Mokuba?" His voice softened as he said this. He remembered what it was like to be Mokuba's age. "Go. I've got this covered. And take your card case with you. It'll come in handy."

Seto watched as Mokuba's face brightened up with delight. "Really? You mean it Seto? Wow, this is going to be so awesome! Bye Seto!" He hopped off his seat and rushed out of the helicopter.

Seto turned back to the GPS screen, but found himself humming for some unknown reason. Looking around, he spotted Mokuba's ASL/MP3 player on the seat next to him. Grunting, he reached over to turn it off. Mokuba had reached that age where he started to become really interested in music. Seto knew what was next. Girls. But who could tell? Maybe he would have no interest in girls, like Seto himself. But he doubted it.

Seto made to turn it off, but stopped when he heard something on the player. Moto. 

"Of course! Yugi's current duel is being broadcast over the radio!" Now knowing what to do, Seto tracked the signal back to the station, and then back to it's original source. Hyde Park.

"Hello Yugi..."

*************************

Yami grit his teeth as he drew his next card. He had managed to prevent Weevil's last attack using Etiqua's Whirlwind, but this was his last turn before the Great Moth emerged from it's cocoon. Glancing at his next card, he smiled. It was a low-level monster! The Skilled Black Magician.

"I'll summon the Skilled Black Magician in Attack mode!" The Skilled Black Magician (1900/1700) burst forth from it's card. "Now I'll play Change of Heart! With the Cocoon of Evolution on my side of the field I can attack your Life Points directly!"

The Skilled Black Magician fired a blast of black energy at Weevil, knocking him to the floor. Weevil staggered back up and watched his Life Point counter drop to 6100. 

"Curse you Yugi! You've gotten through to my Life Points." snivelled Weevil angrily. Then he grinned in an unfriendly manner. "But it doesn't matter now, because it's my turn." 

"Not yet, it isn't!" shouted Yami commandingly. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Weevil laughed as he drew his card. 

"Look Yugi. My moth has finally finished growing!" The pink cocoon pulsated threateningly. "Now emerge my Ultimate Great Moth!" The cocoon tore open with a sickening sound like wet paper being torn in half and the ultimate great moth crawled out, dripping with cocoonal mucus. It quickly dried itself off and launched itself into the air, flapping its wings majestically. Yami watched in horror as his Skilled Black Magician's ATK began to drop at a rate of 50 points a second. 

"No! The poison!" Yami's mind flashed back to the duel that had taken place at Duelist Kingdom almost 2 years ago. He'd broken the cocoon open a turn early, only allowing Weevil to summon the Great Moth (2600/2500). His Gaia the Dragon Champion had drawn even with it, but the poison scales of the moths wings had decreased it's ATK to 1950 before he managed to wash it off. And this time, it showed no signs of stopping. Yami watched helplessly as the Skilled Black Magician's ATK dropped to 350. 

__

Yami! We have to do something! cried Yugi from his soul room.

Yami grimaced. **_I know. But with that poison effect in this duel, it's going to be hard to defeat it._**

__

Good thing we took some precautions, huh?

**__**

Indeed.

When the Magician's ATK reached 0 Weevil smiled nastily. "Time to attack, I think. Ultimate Great Moth! Destroy the Skilled Black Magician!" He sneered and laughed cruelly as it prepared it's attack.

The moth began to flap it's wings furiously, a great wind gathering around it. Just as it was about to attack Yami activated one of his set magic cards. It flipped up to reveal...

"Swords of Revealing Light! It stops your attacks for your next 3 turns, counting from this one." Yami announced matter-of-factly. "Do you have anything else to do?"

Weevil looked through his hand and shook his head. He needed one more card to complete his master strategy.

Yami drew his next card and smiled. Just the card he needed.

"Since we've played three magic cards since I placed my Skilled Black Mage in play I am allowed to activate it's special effect. I'll sacrifice it, allowing me to summon the Dark Magician Girl directly from my deck!" Yami announced confidently. (A/N: I know, that's not it's real effect. I've modified it slightly.) He continued. "Now I'll activate Magic Hats, protecting my Dark Magician Girl from your monster's poison!"

"Now I'll place these two cards under one of the hats. Attack the wrong one and you will activate my Trap cards. And finally, I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Defense Mode!" The metallic warrior emerged from it's card and crouched behind it's shield.

"What? It's stats aren't dropping! Why isn't it affected by my moth's poison?" Weevil pointed angrily at Yami. "Yugi! You must be cheating!"

Yami stared at him in contempt. "I hardly think so. You simply don't know elementary science. Alpha the Magnet Warrior is a Rock-type monster, and as such cannot be affected by your moth's poison, since it is not truly alive." 

Weevil drew his next card and slipped it into his hand. It wasn't what he wanted.

"Since I can't attack because of your Swords of Revealing Light I'll pass Yugi. But it's only going to hold me off for one more turn."

Yami drew his next card. It was the next piece of his plan. 

"I'll summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in Defense mode and end my turn."

Weevil drew his next card and lay it on the field.

"Alright Yugi. I pass again. But now your protection is all gone."

Yami watched the swords fade away unconcernedly.

"Alright. It's my turn. And now, to rid myself of that Great Moth. I'll place Beta the Magnet Warrior on the field in Defense mode." The final magnet warrior, a big, round, yellow machine-like creature, appeared.

"Scary Yugi. Is this all part of your Master Plan? Summon pathetic monsters to protect you until you deck me out? Because that won't work." Weevil sneered at Yugi. "I'm activating this trap card, Full Assault Order. It forces all of our monsters into Attack mode and they aren't able to change back to Defense!"

Yami laughed, a deep, none too friendly laugh.

The Dark Magician looked at him quizically. 

"What is the matter, my master? He seems to have you at a disadvantage."

Yami jumped slightly. He'd almost forgotten that his Deckmaster was beside him, watching everything. Then he remembered the Dark Magician's special ability. It might come in handy later.

He turned to the Dark Magician and whispered something to it. The Dark Magician gave a small chuckle and turned back to Weevil. 

"You most certainly are dueling the King of Games, for he has devised a plan to defeat your Great Moth. Watch as my master turns this duel around." announced the Dark Magician proudly.

"Thank you, my friend." Yami motioned gratefully to his Dark Magician. "Now, I will make good on my Deckmaster's promise!" He pulled all three of the Magnet Warriors off the DuelDisk, and stacked them all on a single card slot.

"I will use my Magnet Warriors' special effect to combine them and create the ultimate magnet warrior, Valkyrion! It will draw even with your Great Moth, since it too has 3500 ATK and it is unaffected by your moth's poison particles." The three magnet warriors on the field disassembled themselves, then formed back together to create a single, humanoid figure. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. It's pink wings gleamed in the sunlight and it weaved it's sword through the air menacingly.

"Now I will activate one of my set traps, the Spellbinding Circle! It will lower your moth's ATK down to 2800, making it easy prey for my Magnet Warrior. Valkyrion, attack!" Yami grinned. It had been a long time since he had had such an exhilerating duel!

The Magnet Warrior lunged forward and skewered the moth, which exploded in a splash of slime. Yami watched with some satisfaction as Weevil's Life Points dropped down to 5400.

"I'll now attack with my Dark Magician Girl and destroy your Flying Kamakiri #2! Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magic Shower!" Yami commanded his magician as she popped out of one of the middle hats. She turned to the Dark Magician, shrugged her shoulders, spun around and launched her attack on the defenseless bug. Weevil's Life Points dropped to 4900. "I'll end my turn."

Weevil was shaking in his boots. With such a powerful monster as Valkyrion on the field and his Great Moth gone, what chance did he stand? Or, at least he pretended to be afraid. Really he was just slightly nervous. He still had his unbeatable combo to pull off, with only one more card needed to complete it. Knowing that this next draw could be his last Weevil screwed up all his courage and drew his card. He opened one eye slightly and glanced at his card. Amazed, both his eyes flew wide open and he began to cackle manically. 

**__**

What's the matter with him?

__

I have no idea Yami. But it probably isn't good, whatever it is.

Meanwhile, Weevil continued to laugh, clutching his sides. He was gasping something unintelligible so the cameraman for DuelNet Television walked closer to him. The reporter followed him.

"Hey, John, what's he saying?"

The cameraman turned to the reporter, a puzzled look on his face.

"The Hive. He says the Hive is coming."

**********************************

Ohh, what could the Hive be? And how will it play a part in the duel between Yami and Weevil?

Who will win? (Kinda a given. I think we all know anyway.)

Why is Kaiba so frigid that he believes he doesn't even possess a passing interest in girls?

Why was Mokuba's MP3 player able to receive a radio signal, which isn't possible?

Find out the answers to (two of) these questions in the next installment of Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Yugi V Weevil 2: The Ultimate Insect Hiv...

__

Hey guys!

Sorry this took so long to update, but I've been away on holiday, so I couldn't work on it too much.

From what people have said, Weevil and Espa Roba are pretty even in terms of how much people hate them, along with the maze brothers, Para and Dox.

Now, let's continue the duel between Yugi and the hated Weevil Underwood.

****

***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium!***

Chapter 6: Weevil Underwood vs Yugi Moto, Part 2:

The Ultimate Insect Hive

Weevil stopped laughing, chuckling only slightly every so often.

"Yugi! I was expecting to duel you, so I prepared accordingly, with a monster that is unstoppable, even by your standards." His snivelling voice rose slightly in his excitement. "So prepare for your annihilation!"

Yami smirked confidently. He very much doubted if Weevil really had a card which could stand up to the might of his deck, especially since it contained two Egyptian God Cards. But still, it would be entertaining to see Weevil try.

"Go ahead then Weevil. Show me this 'ultimate monster' you babble about so!" commanded Yami.

When Weevil replied his voice was low and sinister. "Certainly, Yugi."

He slid a magic card into his DuelDisk. 

"First, I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive my Ultimate Great Moth onto the field!" cried Weevil. The moth re-appeared in front of him, it's wings humming menacingly. "And now I'll Special Summon my Giant Mantis onto the field!" The Giant Mantis shuffled around Weevil and crouched in front of him. "Next I'll summon the Adaptable Ant in attack mode!" A small ant with an attack power of 50 appeared on the field.

Yami stared at it in surprise. Such a weak monster! Apparently Yugi agreed.

__

What? Why would he place that monster in attack mode? It's so weak!" exclaimed Yugi from his soul room.

__

He mentioned during the last duel that the Giant Mantis required a sacrifice to attack. I guess that's it. Yami reasoned. Yes, that had to be it.

"Now I'm invoking my Giant Mantis' DeckMaster effect!" shouted Weevil above the purr of the moth's wings. "It allows me to sacrifice 500 of my Mantis' ATK points in order to Special Summon an Insect monster. And I'll use it twice, to revive the Insect Queen and Girochin Kuwagata!"

The two monsters appeared on the field and Weevil grinned. He now had a full complement of monsters, though his Giant Mantis had been reduced to 2300 ATK.

"Now I'll play Polymerization! It will allow me to fuse all five of my insects together to create my greatest monster, the Ultimate Insect Hive!" He laughed triumphantly. The insects were all devoured by the Insect Queen, which began to warp and mutate. Giant moth's wings and a stag beetle horn erupted from it's back and head, respectively. It's front legs transformed into a pair of mantis legs and it's eyes became compounded.

Yami stared at it in shock. "What is it? It's grotesque!" He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Weevil laughed at Yugi for being so squeamish. "This is the instrument of your destruction. Let me explain it to you." He took a moment to pause and relish the look of mingled shock and horror on Yami's face. "The Hive is a fusion monster which is unique in the fact that it is not a fixed fusion. The only monster required for it is the Insect Queen, plus any other Insect-type monster. You can even fuse multiple Insects at once, as I just revealed!" 

He motioned at the giant insect behind him. It opened it's mouth and roared, it's voice a reverberating mixture of five seperate voices.

"And therein lies the potential of the Hive. It's attack power is equal to 300 times the combined level of the fused Insects, which, in this case, is 29. That means it's attack power is an incredible 8400! I seriously doubt if you've ever faced a monster quite like this before." Weevil cackled again.

He was wrong there. Yami had faced off against Slifer once before, and it's power level had shot past the 30,000 point. But 8,400 was still something to be worried about. With that much power not even Slifer or Obelisk could defeat it in a head-to-head.

Weevil continued. "And another thing about the Hive is that it gains all the abilities of the fused Insects. Imagine if I had fused it with a Leghul! Luckily for you, I didn't. But there is a downside to this. Due to the effect of Giant Mantis I am required to tribute a monster to attack. But on the other hand, for every insect I tribute, the Hive will gain 100 more Attack power, due to the effect of Giant Mantis. So that puts it at 8700."

Yami stared at the Hive. It was looking worse and worse the more he learned about it.

Weevil smirked. "I may not be able to attack this turn, but next turn I'll have another monster on the field to tribute, so watch out Yugi!"

Yami drew his next card and grinned. It was just what he needed. He slid it into the DuelDisk and spoke up.

"Weevil! Your insect is indeed mighty, but I have found it's weakness. It's almost a shame that it will never get to make an attack." 

Weevil simply smiled and waved dismissively at Yami. "I'm sure it's nothing my Hive can't handle."

"It's there that you're wrong, Weevil! Because I play Soul Taker! It allows me to sacrifice your monster. And I'll sacrifice it to play Slifer the Sky Dragon!" He stared triumphantly at Weevil as the sky began to grow dark with thick clouds and the rumble of thunder. Far above was a twisting red shape, rapidly descending towards them.

"Now comes your destruction Weevil! You now face the wrath of an Egyptian God Card with power unimaginable!" Yami said powerfully.

Weevil simply smirked and stared up at the sky. What he saw made him grin.

"So. That is your so-called God. I don't think much of it. Especially since it's running away like a coward."

Yami looked up in shock. Slifer was indeed flying away. As he watched, it disappeared from sight. 

"What?! But why?" He looked at the card sitting on the reader. It had a red light blinking above it. The one that represented an illegal move.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you had nothing to sacrifice for it." Weevil looked like he had a great secret he couldn't wait to reveal.

"But Soul Taker allows me to sacrifice your monsters instead of your own!" Yami exclaimed. "Your Hive should be dead!"

"And yet it's not. I wonder why that could be. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it is totally immune to Magic and Trap cards." Weevil had the slightest trace of a condescending smirk on his face.

Yami did a double-take at this. "Immune?!" He could sense Yugi's distress mirroring his own.

__

How can we beat that? It's way too powerful!

****

I know. But there must be a way. No card is undefeatable.

Well this one is pretty close! It's got better magic protection than a God Card!

That's true. And now I no longer have Slifer.

Umm...Yami, Weevil's speaking to you.

Thank you Yugi.

Yami's mind returned to the duel and he found Weevil speaking.

"-so that's why my Ultimate Insect Hive is completely invincible!" Weevil let out a long string of laughter.

Yami looked up from examining his fingernails for any dirt. "I'm sorry. What did you say? I wasn't listening." Yami said casually.

"What?! How dare you ignore me! I am Weevil Underwood, the greatest Insect duelist in the world." cried Weevil in a frustrated and aggravated voice.

"And I am Yugi Moto, the number one duelist in the world, which gives me every right not to listen to you." replied Yami in a bored voice.

Weevil ground his teeth. "You think you're so great. Fine, I'll say it again. The reason my Hive is immune to all Magic and Trap effects is because of my Adaptable Ant. As long as Termite Nest is on the field Adaptable Ant is unaffected by any magic. And through fusion that ability was transferred to my Ultimate Insect Hive!"

Yami yawned. "So all I have to do to destroy it is destroy the Termite Nest. Thank you for that." He went back to examining his fingernails. Inside he felt anything but calm. He was simply trying to throw his opponent off. If it seemed like he was in control of the duel Weevil was more likely to make mistakes.

Something suddenly occured to Yugi that would be sure to annoy Yami. _Hey Yami._

**__**

Yes Yugi?

__

The way you act. I never knew you could act so calm.

**__**

So, what's wrong with that?

Yugi smiled mischeviously. _Nothing._ he said innocently. _Just that you're attitude mirrors Yami Bakura's._

As he had expected, Yami was not happy about his comparison.

**__**

I am NOT like that filthy tomb robber. And I never will be.

Yugi decided not to mention Yami's disturbing past exploits.

__

But you're acting just like him.

**__**

I would NEVER act like a common thief.

Yugi was tempted to say "There's nothing common about Bakura" but decided to drop it. They had a duel to attend to. And Yugi's teasing had accomplished it's purpose. Yami was a lot more relaxed now, if just a tad grumpy, and wasn't stressing out about the duel so much.

Yami turned his mind's focus back to the task at hand. There was still the problem of the Hive to attend to. He looked at Weevil's DuelDisk and was startled to read that his Life Points were on 5900. Last time he'd checked they were on 4900. Weevil apparantly hadn't even noticed. Yami came to the conclusion that Weevil had still gained the 1000 Life Points from him playing Soul Taker.

Yami slapped himself mentally and began to assess his side of the field. He was only able to change the mode of one of his monsters, so he decided to switch the Dark Magician Girl into Defense Mode. With that done, he ended his turn.

Weevil drew his next card and grinned. 

"Look Yami. I drew Cockroach Knight.Everytime it dies it goes back to the top of the deck, so my Hive will be able to attack every turn! Now, I'll tribute the Cockroach Knight to attack Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! Destroy that, that thing!"

The Hive reared back and launched a spray of acid at the Magna Warrior. It poured all over the unfortunate monster, which writhed in pain silently before disintergrating into dust. Yami watched his Life Points drop to 2800 with a terrible grimace on his face.

Yugi tried to shake Yami out of his silence with comforting words, but Yami only responded with occasional, negative comments.

__

Come on Yami! We can do this!

**__**

How? There's nothing we have that can beat it.

__

We have the God Cards! And we have faith. That's all we need.

**__**

But it's immune to pretty much everything.

Yugi appeared beside Yami in his spiritual form.

"So that's it? You're just giving up?" Yugi seemed quite upset.

Yami looked at him, his eyes slightly dulled.

"No. I'm not giving up. I'm just having a hard time trying to figure out a strategy."

Yugi strained his mind. "What about Obelisk? His Soul Energy Max would destroy the Hive."

Yami looked at him doubtfully. "Maybe. But it will be hard to get that many monsters onto the field."

"Come on! We have to do something! Hey, what's that?"

Yami slowly became aware of someone shouting to him.

"Kaiba?" Yami looked at the older boy, who seemed furious with him.

"Yugi, you'd better win this duel! If you lose we won't get our re-match! The one you promised me after Battle City. Do you remember?"

"Yes." Yami seemed to awaken at that moment. "Yes. I do. And I know how to finish this."

------------------------------------

Seto stepped out of his helicopter. This was the park. And judging by the noise, he knew where Yugi's duel was taking place. 

A few minutes later he emerged from the trees into the clearing where Yugi was duelling. He walked over to a spectator and grabbed him roughly.

"You. What's happened so far?"

The guy pulled away from his grip and smoothed the wrinkles out of his blue satin jacket. His green-haired head bobbed up and down foolishly.

"Well, Underwood summoned ah Great Moth, but then the Moto kid summoned ah Magna thing, Valkyrion or summin like tha'. An' now Weevil's gotta creepy, super-strong insect tha's shreddin' little Moto's Life Points. The Moto kid's gonna lose so bad!" he exclaimed happily.

Seto shook his head in contempt. "There's nothing so sad as a deluded fan of Weevil Underwood."

The other guy shook his fist at him dazedly. Seto was pretty sure he was either drunk, or on drugs. Either way, he was just a creep who disrespected his body. But Seto had what he needed.

Seto shoved his way to the front of the crowd to find himself standing directly behind Yugi. He could see Yugi's hand perfectly. Yugi seemed to be in a state of shock and didn't seem able to continue. Seto growled in frustration. If Yugi lost here Seto would have come to the tournament for nothing. Apparently Yugi didn't see any avenues left, but Seto believed he just wasn't thinking things through. There was no way Yugi would not be able to come up with something, anything, to stop the freaky bug's onslaught.

Seto shouted Yugi's name a few times, but he seemed completely out of it. But he persisted. Eventually Yugi began to stir.

"Yugi, you'd better win this duel! If you lose we won't get our re-match! The one you promised me after Battle City. Do you remember?" shouted Seto commandingly. He'd promised Yugi and himself they would have a re-match a few weeks after the Noa incident.

"Yes." Yami looked at Seto gratefully. "Yes. I do. And I know how to finish this."

Seto smiled coldly. Weevil would have no idea what hit him.

----------------------------

Yami looked at his hand. He needed one more card to finish the duel, but he hadn't drawn it. But he felt sure he would soon. Kaiba's reminder had also reminded him of Yugi's promise to his grandfather that he would try his hardest. And Grandpa and Tea were here, cheering him on! He couldn't fail. Not with their support.

"I will pass my turn. Now it's your turn Weevil." Yami stated bluntly.

"Ohh, too scared to do anything are we? I saw you freeze up before. I know the truth. You may act tough, but really you're scared out of your wits." Weevil smirked. "Now I'll have my Hive destroy your Dark Magician Girl." 

The Dark Magician Girl screamed in agony as she slowly burnt to death. Both Yami and the Dark Magician looked shocked and disturbed at how realistic that had been. The crowd's opinion seemed to mirror their's.

Yami stared at his deck. He had no low-level monsters in his hand, so if he didn't draw what he needed he would lose. Suddenly he heard a shout and turned to find Tea and Grandpa waving madly at him, cheering for him. Yami felt his strength rise and drew his card confidently. He didn't even need to look at it. He could feel that it was the right one.

"Now I'll activate...Monster Reborn!" Yami glared triumphantly at Weevil. "And I will revive Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! Next, I'll play De-Fusion to split him back into his component parts!" 

Valkyrion glowed and seperated into Alpha, Beta and Gamma the Magnet Warriors. The Dark Magician smiled. Now came his part. He stepped in front of Yami and swung his staff, revealing a card from a shower of sparks.

His deep, smooth voice was confident and strong. "Now my master will activate Devil's Sanctuary! And, using the magic of my staff, I will allow him to activate it again!" He slammed his staff into the enlarged card and two Devil Token's burst forth from the card. He then leapt nimbly back behind Yami.

Yami stepped forward confidently. "And now that I have five monsters on the field I will sacrifice the three Magnet Warriors to summon...OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!" 

The ground began to quiver and shake and there was a loud rumbling as the ground split apart beneath him. Obelisk rose imposingly from the fissure, up to his knees. His sadistic grin widened as he could sense what was happening next.

Weevil collapsed to his knees, partly due to the vibrations, partly in shock. "What... is that?" he whispered in an awed voice.

"Now I will sacrifice both of my Devil Tokens to activate Obelisk's special ability, the Soul Energy Max!" Yami laughed loudly, as there was nothing that could save Weevil now.

Weevil watched Obelisk's power meter in shock, as it changed from his ATK and DEF to read SOUL MAX. He was so surprised by this that he didn't even notice as Obelisk reared his fist back and swung it forward. A second later he was thrown backwards as the attack struck.

The duel was over. His DeckMaster had been destroyed. Weevil had lost.

-------------------------------------

Yugi smiled happily as he stared at the card he'd just won, the Giant Mantis. It wasn't suited to his deck, but he'd keep it anyway. He felt a hand clap down on his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Grandpa and Tea behind him. It was Kaiba.

"Come on Yugi. I have a proposition to make." He walked purposefully away from the clearing.

Yugi turned to look at the crowd, which had gathered around the fissure Obelisk had emerged from. If he left he might lose Tea and his Grandpa, but Kaiba looked pretty serious.

With a little mental urging from Yami he turned and ran after Kaiba.

"What's he want, anyway?" Yugi wondered to himself.

-----------------------------------

Joey turned away from the TV screen. He'd just caught the end of Yugi's duel and was feeling in high spirits. He turned away from the TV and realised that someone was staring at him. It was a freaky-looking guy with a weird red suit and a mask. The way he was staring began to get on Joey's nerves.

"Whadda ya want, ya freak?" He said roughly as he shoved past the guy.

"You know Yugi Moto." The man's voice was strange, cheerful-sounding, yet not at all cheery.

"Yeah, I know 'im. Why d'ya wanna know?" Joey stared straight at the guy.

"I simply wish to duel you. I have pledged to duel all friends of Yugi Moto, before I thank him for saving my life and then," he stopped to consider what to say next. "And then, I will eliminate him."

Joey smirked. Obviously the guy had no idea just how good Yugi was, or himself for that matter.

"Fine. Ah'll duel ya. But first I wanna know yer name."

The man grinned. "Certainly. It's Arkana."

***************************


	7. Return of the Masked Magician, Part 1: E...

_Hey guys! _

_Wow, been a long time since I updated this, since the format was all screwy. So I have to thank Alan Wilkinson for re-uploading Chapters 5 and 6 for me, and I think you should too, since I wouldn't have worked on this for a long time had the formatting not been fixed._

_It seems people like the fact that I bash the shit out of Espa Roba, which is cool, since he's easily the most evil person on the show. In fact, he's so crap that he's not going to be in this story. He has no right to enfoul this tale with his presence. Plus he's sapphic. _

_This chapter contains snippets of two duels, Joey and Arkana's and Ryou's against an unimportant character. Ryou wins a card off of her which I feel should be suited to Yami Bakura's deck, but so far I only have the name, so if anyone wants to send in an effect for Ryou's new card, feel free to do so. Oh, and if anyone wants to see any monster in a DeckMaster position, tell me, and suggest an effect and I'll see if I can fit it in._

**_WARNING! FREQUENT TERRIBLE BROOKLYN ACCENT. READER DISCRETION ADVISED. NOT SUITIBLE FOR ANYONE SANE OR FOND OF THE SUBTITLED VERSION. _******

** ***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium!*****

**_ Chapter 7: Return of the Masked Magician, Part 1: Exclusive Enemy Arkana!_**

Joey smirked confidently. 

"So, yer Arkana? From wha' Yuge told me about ya, any duel wit you'd be a piece a cake!" he exclaimed.

Arkana smiled mysteriously. 

"Let's put that to the test shall we, my fine young friend? One piece of Exodia each."

Joey grinned. This was going to be _so_ easy!

"I accept yer challenge Arkana! Let's get this started!" Joey activated his DuelDisk with the great ease of a practiced duelist. "An' since yah challenged me, I get ta go first."

Arkana nodded his head in agreement. 

"That is how the rules go. Now let us start."

Joey hesitated. There was something they hadn't done yet. Then it hit him.

"We haven't chosen our Deck Masters yet." 

Arkana smiled. 

"Well spotted, my good fellow. For my DeckMaster I choose... Dark Magic Apprentice! What will you choose?" 

Joey had no idea what to choose, he knew the power of Flame Swordsman, but that wouldn't help him too much. Joey grabbed one monster at random and glanced at it. Baby Dragon. That would work. Smiling, Joey slotted it into the DeckMaster position and the cute orange dragon burst forth. Behind Arkana, a youth clad in red armour similar to the Dark Magician's appeared. Finally ready, the two began the duel.

Joey drew his hand and smiled. It was a good hand. And Joey knew just what to do.

"Alright, for my first move I'll set 1 card an' summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in Attack Mode! Make yer move, Arkana." 

Arkana sneered. 

"Gladly. I'll set two cards face-down and summon Exclusivity Virus (1600/1000) in Attack Mode. Now I think I will activate it's effect." Arkana smiled slyly at Joey as he slotted a card from his hand into the graveyard. "It allows me to discard a card and name a sub-type. And I pick Warrior." 

Joey shouted in horror as Gearfried crumbled into dust.

"Wha'! What just happened?" Joey's voice was slightly unsteady.

Arkana's grin grew wider. 

"You fool. My monster is a _virus_. It destroys monsters of a certain type. And I chose Warrior. Now my Exclusivity Virus will attack you directly!" Arkana laughed as the virus circled around Joey. 

Joey started to cough uncontrollably as his life points dropped to 6400. He was only able to stop once the attack had finished. Once the virus had retreated to it's side of the field Joey drew his next card. 

_Alrigh',_ thought Joey, _this card'll give me some protection._

"I'll play the Magic Card Scapegoat! Now I have four scapegoats to protect me! An' I'll set one more card to end mah turn."

Arkana drew his next card and smiled. 

"I'll summon the Skilled Black Mage (1900/1700) in Attack Mode! And now..." Arkana selected a card from his hand and shoved it into the Graveyard. "...I activate Exclusivity Virus' effect, and declare Beast as my chosen sub-type." 

Joey watched in horror as his goats died in agony, one by one, leaving him with an open field. 

"Now, Skilled Black Mage, attack him directly!" Arkana trumpeted madly.

Joey's look of horror morphed into one of smug satisfaction. Suddenly a large pair of metal tongs grabbed the Exclusivity Virus and dragged it in front of the oncoming attack. It was blown apart and Arkana's Life Points dropped to 7700.

"What did you do? How did you throw my Exclusivity Virus in the way of the attck?" Arkana seemed stunned at what had happened.

Joey smirked.

"It was simple. I used my Magic Arm Shield trap card! An' ya fell for it!" Joey smirked again. _Phew, lucky that time. Better keep my guard up._

Joey drew his next card and set it on the field. 

"One monster in Defense Mode."

Arkana smiled as he drew his new card. It was just what he needed.

"Watch this Joseph. I'll play Black Magic Coffin..." A large, ornate coffin appeared on the field and both monsters on the field were pulled in. "...and now, my Dark Magician appears on the field!"

The coffin swung open and purple smoke poured out. From the coffin stepped a Dark Magician, still swathed with smoke. He levelled his staff at Joey and awaited his master's orders.

"Now, Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" 

Joey watched as the magical beam flew towards him. With his lips tightly pressed together, Joey activated his card. _I sure hope this works. _

The Dark Magician's attack slammed into something just in front of Joey. As the particles dissipitated Joey could begin to see an armoured figure. His plan had worked!

"What happened? Why was my attack stopped?" Arkana stared at Joey's side of the field, confused. When he saw the armoured man he realised what had happened. 

Arkana's voice was respectful when he continued. 

"I see. You activated a ritual magic card to summon your Law Guardian (2050/2500) in Defense Mode. And since it's defense is equal to my Dark Magician's attack, it wasn't destroyed."

Joey smirked. 

"I see ya like it. I picked it up a couple a days ago. And mah name is Joey. Don' forget it."

Drawing, Joey smiled. He now had a way to destroy the Dark Magician. But it would take some timing.

"I'll set two cards face-down an' change my Law Guardian to Attack Mode. I end mah turn."

_He's obviously trying to get me to attack him. And I'll be glad to oblige. _ Arkana thought to himself.

"I'll attack your Law Guardian with another Dark Magic Attack!"

Joey chuckled as he activated his face-down card. 

"Check it out Arkana. Shield & Sword. Now mah monster has 2500 Attack, an' your's only got 2100."

The Law Guardian dodged the magic blast and leapt towards the Dark Magician, drawing it's sword as it did so. The Dark Magician parried with a block from it's staff. The two monsters began to battle it out.

Joey waited for the Dark Magician to be destroyed by the Law Guardian's attack. But neither of the monsters were able to get an upper hand in the battle.

Suddenly a high-pitched laughing was heard from behind Arkana. Joey turned and saw the Dark Magic Apprentice laughing at him.

"Ha ha ha! I stop magic cards from affecting the Dark Magician, so it still has 2500 Attack. It's a stalemate Joseph!" It began to grin evilly at Joey.

"Not so fast, you magic freak! I'm activating Waboku! If two monsters draw for power, activating this will prevent my monster from being destroyed!" Joey cried triumphantly.

The Dark Magician was sliced in half by the Law Guardian when five priestesses appeared around it and began to chant. With the Dark Magician now defeated the priestesses faded away.

"It looks like I've got the upper hand now Arkana. And that's just the beginning."

***

Ryou glanced at his hand nervously. He wasn't exactly doing so well. He'd built his deck in such a hurry that it still had several major flaws in it. His opponent had three monsters on the field, while he had none. And to make things worse, he had only 600 Life Points left, while his opponent had 5400.

**_Face it Ryou, your deck sucks. You should have stuck with your Yami's._**

_No, that deck was evil. I refuse to use it, ever again._

**_Ever again? Oh, Ryou, you hurt my feelings. And to think, I put so much work into that deck._**

Ryou gasped audibly. "Yami!" 

The other player was starting to get annoyed. 

"Look, are you going to make your move or not?"

**_Come on Ryou, she's waiting. Go ahead. Play the third card from the right. Trust me._**

Hand shaking slightly, Ryou pulled the suggested card from his hand and laid it on the field. 

"Change of Heart. To gain control of your Red-Moon Baby." Ryou uttered slowly. 

**_Idiot! You should have taken control of the Super Roboyaru. But it's too late now. Just play Monster Reborn. If your memory serves me correctly then you should revive her Time Wizard and hope for the best._**

_"_ I'll play Monster Reborn to revive your Time Wizard and activate it's Time Roulette!"

_If this goes wrong I'm out of the tournament. And I'll lose both my Millennium Item cards._

**_Quit whining. You don't have the brains, or the luck, to try and accomplish my strategy. Stupid deck._**

"Time Machine!" Ryou smiled slightly. "Both of your monsters are destroyed."

_Now what? _

**_Play the Graceful Charity, you idiot! _**

_But I only have two cards in my hand, and they're good ones. _

**_Shut up and play the goddamn card._**

"Next, I'll play Graceful Charity, and draw 3 cards."

**_Now throw away the Secret Passage to the Treasury and the Magic Cylinders._**

_Magic Cylinders? Are you insane? Wait, stupid question._

**_You've grown cheeky in my absence. In the past I would have beaten you solidly for that, but I'll let it slip. Now play the Level 8._**

"Now, I'll tribute both monsters for Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi. And I'll attack you directly."

**_Yet again you didn't wait for my orders. I grow weary of your behaviour Ryou. But anyway, set the Trap card and end your turn. Activate it during her next turn._**

"It's your turn. Now you have to discard your hand before you draw your new card."

The girl wrinkled her nose at him, not knowing she had already lost.

"Fine, but I'll still beat you and your stupid spirits. All I need is one good monster this turn. And I draw-" She was cut off by a holographic plane bombing her hand.

"Nothing. You draw nothing. My trap card, Drop Off, forces you to discard the card you draw." Ryou stated calmly.

"Hmph! Doesn't matter. My next card will finish you, I bet!"

Ryou winced slightly as his Yami established control of his vocal cords. But he wasn't alarmed. He'd allowed his yami that little bit of control.

"You will not get a next card, foolish child. You've fallen neatly into what is referred to as a Yata-Lockdown. I summon Yatagarasu and attack you directly. That prevents you from drawing a card next turn." Bakura laughed evilly. "Then Yatagarasu returns to the safety of my hand. Next turn, you can do nothing, since you have no cards in your hand. And then my turn begins again, I summon Yatagarasu, attack you, etc, etc." He laughed again. "In other words, you lose."

Ryou powered down his DuelDisk amidst the cheers of the surrounding crowd and walked over to the girl he'd just beaten.

"I'm sorry, but the rules state you need to hand over your piece of Exodia and your rarest card, which is..?" He looked at her questioningly.

"Kiara the Death-Bringing Damsel. Take it." She held it out to Ryou grumpily.

**_Death-Bringing? I like the sound of that._**

Ryou groaned silently.

"Great. Just great."

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 


	8. Return Of the Masked Magician, Part 2: M...

_Okay, this should be a good chapter! I worked really hard on it, so I hope you like it. On a side note, this is the first time we get to see Mokuba duel properly. And, since I didn't design his deck, I must give the credit to Alan Wilkinson (besides a couple of cards I added for story purposes) Yay Alan!_

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO.

*****Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium!*****

_Chapter 8: Mokuba's Magical Gals - Reveal, the Light Magician Girl!_

Mokuba wandered down a city street idly, clicking his translator every now and then to read something. Behind him a cute light blue dragon bobbed along in the air, just barely kept aloft by it's tiny wings. He sighed. He hadn't been able to find a duel yet, and it had already been half an hour. He bet Yugi already had 3 or 4 pieces, unless his brother had managed to stop him. 

As he paused to stare into a window he saw a man with a DuelDisk emerge from a shop nearby. Spinning around quickly, Mokuba saw that he also had a translator. So that confirmed it. He was a competitor. Mokuba ran up to him and stopped for a short breath. The guy, clad in black pants, a black t-shirt and mirrored shades, stared down at him, his head tilted slightly, as if to convey confusion. Once Mokuba got his breath back, he spoke.

"I... I challenge you to a... a duel!" panted Mokuba heavily.

The guy grinned. The kid was speaking Japanese, but his translator allowed him to understand everything clearly. And since he was just a kid, he should be easy to eliminate. That would give the duellist a second piece of Exodia. So he accepted.

"Alright kid, I'll duel you. But know this. Now that I have accepted your challenge you shall proceed no further, for I, Terrance, and my mighty dark warriors will annihilate you most completely!"

The man's DeckMaster, Dark Ruler Ha Des, stepped forward from the shadows of the shop entrance and glared coldly at Mokuba. Mokuba simply stuck his tongue out and ran to the other side of the street, his own DeckMaster floating beside him, leaving an appreciable clearing between the two duellists.

Terrance smiled and drew his starting hand. And it was a good one too. 

"Hah! I'll summon the **Baron of the Fiend Sword **(1550/800) in Attack Mode! And I'll set 1 card face-down too." 

Mokuba grinned widely as he studied his hand. He believed the monster for the job this time was... 

"I'll summon **Injection Fairy Lily **in Attack Mode and use it's effect to power it up to 3400!" shouted Mokuba.

As Mokuba's Life Points dropped to **6000** the fairy swooped down upon the evil baron and she injected him. He keeled over and died.

Terrance's Life Points dropped to **6150** and he growled in frustration. But as he whipped his next card off the pile he grinned evilly. 

"Oh yeah! I'll play **Zombrya the Dark **(2100/500) in Attack Mode! Next, I'll activate my face-down card,** Axe of Despair**, to increase Zombrya's ATK to 3100. And finally, I will equip it with **Sword of Dark Destruction**, to increase it's ATK to 3500. So now, even if you power Lily up she won't survive!"

The dark warrior appeared, with a vicious axe in one hand and a wicked sword in the other. Leaping forward, he sliced Lily cleanly in two as Mokuba's Life Points dropped again, first to **4000**, then to **3900**. 

Mokuba stared at Zombrya the Dark. As he drew his card Mokuba smiled. He had a plan.

"I'll summon **Light Magician Girl **(1400/1500) in Attack Mode. And I will also set two cards. Then I'll end my turn." Mokuba scowled determinedly at Terrance. His monster, a beautiful young black-skinned girl with raven hair, a dangerously short green dress and an impressive chest appeared on the field in a shower of sparks.

'_For you Seto. This is for you. All for you.' _Mokuba repeated this silently as Terrance took his turn.

Terrance picked his card carefully and laid it on the field.

"Hah! I activate **Raigeki** to destroy your monster." Terrance flashed his teeth in a grin of triumph.

As the lightning bolt tore towards Mokuba he flipped up the card he had set. 

"My **Solemn Judgement **allows me to pay half my Life Points to negate the effect of Raigeki. So Light Magician Girl is okay!" Mokuba bounced up and down happily. Seto's lessons had paid off. (Mokuba's LP: **1900**)

"Fine then. I'll summon **Red-Moon Baby **(700/1000) in Attack Mode and have Zombrya the Dark attack your Light Magician Girl." Terrance looked pleased. This attack would nearly finish the shrimp off.

Mokuba sighed. Terrance had no idea of strategy. Only power.

"I'll activate **Magic Cylinders**!" A purple tube appeared in front of the Light Magician Girl and absorbed the attack. It then appeared in front of Red-Moon Baby. Mokuba smiled softly.

"My cylinder absorbs Zombrya's ATK at 3500. But now..." The Light Magician Girl raised her staff and the entire field, along with the players and their DeckMasters, began to glow softly. Terrance watched in alarm as Zombrya's ATK fell to 2450, while the Light Magician Girl's ATK rose to 1820.

"What in the hell just happened?" Terrance cried out in a whiney voice. Mokuba's grin widened until it stretched across his face. 

"My Light Magician Girl generates a field magic of her own. _Hikari._ It decreases the ATK of Dark Monsters by 30% and increases the ATK of Light monsters by an equal amount." 

Terrance looked in horror as the attack Zombrya had made flew out at the Red-Moon Baby, which was left with 490 ATK with _Hikari _active. As the Red-Moon Baby was torn apart Terrance's Life Points dropped to **3040**.

Mokuba drew his next card and smiled. He could win, right here. 

"I'll summon a second Light Magician Girl in Attack Mode, set 2 cards and activate **Card Destruction**." Mokuba discarded his hand and drew a new card, as did Terrance. But Mokuba wasn't interested in his new cards. He had all he needed to win.

"I'll play **Monster Reborn **to revive my final Light Magician Girl in Attack Mode!" Mokuba smiled. He now had a full complement of beautiful teenagers. Ah, but if only they were real. He couldn't wait for Seto to either develop "true-life holograph projectors" or to update his Virtual Reality game. Mokuba would _definately _test his deck out. For research purposes of course. 

"And now I will activate my Deckmasters ability, **Dual Strike**, allowing my original Light Magician Girl to attack twice this turn."

"So what. None of them are strong enough to destroy Zombrya." Terrance sounded unsure. He wasn't sure what to expect.

"Guess what? I'm activating **United We Stand **to increase my original Light Magician Girl's ATK by 800 for every monster I have on the field. And, funnily enough, that raises it to 4220. Which is 1770 ATK greater than Zombrya. Bad luck."

The Light Magician Girl levelled her staff and beams of white energy surrounded Zombrya and he dissolved in a cloud of particles.

After Zombrya had disappeared all three Light Magician Girls targeted their staves on Terrance and the Attack Counter flashed **7860**. Unfortunately for Terrance, he only had **1270** Life Points left. 

All three attacks slammed into Terrance at once and threw him backwards, such was the force of the magic. His Life Point counter fell to **0**.

***

Mokuba smiled as Terrance handed over his **Dark Ruler Ha Des**. Terrance was looking very troubled. Mokuba started to walk away.

"Who are you anyway?" Terrance suddenly burst out.

Mokuba paused and turned around.

"Mokuba Kaiba."

Terrance looked greatly surprised.

"As in Seto Kaiba? Man, I had no chance at all!"

***

Arkana drew his card. It wasn't strong enough to beat Joey's Skull Guardian, which now had 2500 ATK and 2050 DEF, but he could still use it.

"I'll activate my **Magical Scriptures**, allowing me to look at your next three cards!" Arkana smiled as they appeared in front of them, while Joey tilted his head and leaned forward to try and get a glimpse of the cards. 

Arkana smiled. Joey's next three cards were **Different Dimension Capsule**, **Graceful Dice** and **Question**. Just the sort of reason for him to set one of the cards in his hand.

"I'll lay 1 monster face-down and set 1 other card. And that shall end my turn."

Joey smirked. All Arkana had done was lay a monster face-down. Nothing to be afraid of. 

"Hmm. I think I'll summon **Gearfried the Iron Knight **(1800/1600) in Attack Mode and have him attack your face-down monster! Go Gearfried!"

The futuristic-looking black knight lunged forward and sliced through the monster card. It flipped up to reveal **Hiro's Shadow Scout**. Arkana cackled evilly.

"Now you have to draw three cards Joseph! My monster's effect says so!"

"And that's bad why?" Joey was confused. 

"Because any magic cards you draw have to be discarded. And all three of them are magic cards!"

Joey groaned when he saw them. They were good ones. Sadly, he slotted them into his graveyard.

"And that's not all. By attacking you allow me to activate **Infernal Calamity**! This trap card destroys all monsters on the field and in either hand and puts them in my graveyard!"

Arkana walked over to Joey, who handed him **Gearfried the Iron Knight, Skull Guardian, Knight of Aquasky **and **Jinzo.** Arkana saw that the only card Joey had left was **Gaia Power**. Arkana revealed his own hand. There were no monsters. Only **Magician's Tome, Crucifix of Nightmares **and **Monster Reborn.**

Since Joey was unable to do anything else Arkana drew his card. He summoned it happily.

"Ha! My **Man with Wdjat **(1600/1600) will be able to attack you directly. And when I play **Monster Reborn** to revive my **Dark Magician**, you will lose 4100 Life Points! Hah hah hah!"

As the monsters attacked Joey's Life Points dropped to **2300**. He was starting to get worried. One more attack would finish him off. Joey reached to draw his next card. 

__

Come on Heart of the Cards. Don't let me down.

"Okay! I'll activate **Pot of Greed**. That allows me to draw 2 new cards. Oh yeah!" Joey smirked as he saw his two new cards. "I'll play **Dark Hole**! Now all your monsters are gone. And I'll play this card face-down."

Arkana frowned. Joey had destroyed his Dark Magician twice now. His Dark Magic Apprentice didn't protect against non-targeted destruction effects. And he had no monsters he could play.

Joey drew again, but it was a useless card at the moment. Maybe later it would be handy, but not yet. Still, he had his _other _card. 

"Guess what Arkana? I got a surprise for you. And it's thanks to you that I can play it!" Joey smirked at Arkana smugly. "I activate **Grave Robber** to revive my **Jinzo**!"

The Graverobber pulled Jinzo from the Graveyard and the black-clad cyborg rose ominously from the ground. It aimed it's hands at Arkana and launched a wave of psychic energy at him. Arkana was thrown back and his Life Points dropped to **5300**.

Arkana drew a gloved hand across his lip. It was bleeding slightly. Arkana didn't like these new holograms. Angrily, he turned to his DeckMaster.

"Can't you help me? I need some help!" he shouted angrily. The Dark Magic Apprentice flinched.

"No can do boss. Not within my powers. Sorry." He looked miserably at the ground.

"Fine. I can win this myself. I draw...**Coins From Heaven**! Excellent." Arkana inserted it into his DuelDisk. "Now we both draw 3 new cards to add to our hands." Browsing his hand, Arkana paused to contemplate a strategy. Finally, his face lit up as he saw a combo.

"Excellent! This is perfect! I will play **Viral Contamination**! It allows me to name something. And any card in either deck with that one word in it is discarded. For each of your cards that is discarded I must pay 1000 Life Points. And my word is... _Magician_." 

Joey looked bewildered. 

"Wha? Magician! But I don't have any cards with Magician in their name! That was pointless!"

Arkana merely chose 4 cards from his deck and placed them into his Graveyard. 

"Was it? Or was it so I could do THIS?!" Arkana snapped a **Monster Reborn **into his reader and a monster began to form on his field.

"Ah man! Not another Dark Magician!"

"You're partly right, but mostly misinformed, to put it as your friend Yugi so aptly did. I'm summoning my **Dark Magician Girl** (2000/1700)!" Arkana snapped his fingers and the Dark Magician Girl stepped forward. "And since my **Viral Contamination ** was so kind as to destroy the remainder of my Dark Magicians and my Magician of Black Chaos, my Dark Magician Girl's attack is increased to 3200!" Arkana placed another card in the DuelDisk.

"And to finish it off, I'll equip her with my **Magician's Tome**, to put her attack at an unbeatable 3900!"

The Dark Magician Girl bombarded Joey's Jinzo with a shower of pink sparks and it exploded, reducing Joey's Life Points to a mere **800**.

"Damn it! Come on, come on, gimme a good card!" Joey hoped fervently as he drew. "Alright. Hope this works. I play **Die of Fate**!" 

A large, 20-sided die was dropped from the sky and began to roll on the ground. It finally stopped on a 7. 

"Alright! 7! That reduces your **Dark Magician Girl** to 0 ATK power! Now for my monster!" Joey summoned a monster that looked identical to Arkana's Dark Magician Girl. 

"I summon **Copycat** in Attack Mode and copy your Dark Magician Girl. And since it copies her, it gains her base ATK power and effect, raising it's ATK power to 3200! Destroy that bimbo!"

Joey's clone Magician Girl blew away the real one and Arkana's Life Points dropped to **3100**. Joey looked confused.

"Hey! Your Life Points are meant to be at 2100. Why've ya got a thousand more?" He waited suspiciously for an answer.

"When **Magician's Tome **is discarded I gain 1000 Life Points. Is that all?" Grumpily, Arkana drew his card.

"Ah, perfect. I shall play **Shallow Grave**!"

Just as the Shallow Grave's effect was about to begin, Joey's DuelDisk flashed. His DeckMaster ability was unlocked!

"Hold the phone Arkana! First, I'm activating my Baby Dragon's DeckMaster effect. It allows me to discard 1 card," Joey did so, ", and then I get 1000 Life Points back! And I'll revive the monster I discarded, **Gilford the Lightning**! In Defense Mode it's only got 1400 points, but since your monster can't change it's position this turn, it should be fine."

Arkana grit his teeth. Joey seemed to be a better duellist than he had believed. But no matter. He couldn't win now.

"Fine. I'll summon my **Dark Magician **using Shallow Grave. And now-" Pausing for effect, Arkana activated one of the 2 cards in his hand. "-I activate **Dark Magic Illusion**! I pay 1000 Life Points to create 5 Dark Magicians! With this wall of mages and numerous cards in my deck that will eliminate Gilford, victory shall soon be mine!" He cackled evilly.

"So what Arkana, I got a hundred ways to beat you. And I'll start by destroying 1 of your Dark Magicians. Gilford, shift to Attack Mode (2800 ATK) and destroy the left-most Dark Magician. Then I set this card face-down."

Arkana smiled as he drew his new card. He placed it in the field magic slot.

"Ha! All Dark Magicians, into Attack Mode! I activate **Hall of Mirrors**! It will halve Gilford's power if he attacks, and it exists as long as I have at least 1 Dark Magician. Unfortunately, I pay 1000 Life Points to activate it. But no matter. It is now definite that you will not be able to defeat me."

Arkana ended his turn by setting 1 other card.

As Joey drew his new card Arkana activated his face-down card. 

"Hah ha Joey! My **Crucifix of Nightmares** will remove Gilford from the game, just in case you want to try anything."

Joey calmly flipped his own trap card. 

"Sorry Arkana. My **Seven Tools of the Bandit** will negate it. Aaand, it lowers my Life Points to 800, meaning I can activate this! **Last Battle**! It destroys all your Dark Magicians, so Hall of Mirrors is gone. Then you get to summon one monster from your deck and the two monsters fight. Whoever wins is the victor of the duel." 

Arkana looked worried as he searched through his deck.

"And by my guessing, your **Viral Contamination** destroyed your most powerful monsters. You can't win, can ya?" Joey asked confidently. Arkana sighed. He knew when he was beaten.

"No. I don't."

Joey broke out into a wide grin. 

"Don't worry 'bout it. Ya played well. One of my toughest duels yet."

***

Kaiba walked with Yugi to the edge of the park and stepped into the empty car park. He turned to Yugi and, before Yugi could ask what Kaiba wanted to talk about, began to talk sternly and coldly.

"Yugi. I challenge you to a duel. My only piece of Exodia and one of my Blue-Eyes for one of your pieces and Obelisk. Unless, of course, you're too much of a coward." Seto sneered snidely.

Yugi's body glowed and Yami surfaced, a determined look on his face.

"Do I ever turn down a challenge?"

--------------------------------------------------------------

Well, how was that? I think it turned out fairly well. Anyway, here's Arkana's deck, just for interest. By the way, cards in bold either haven't been released or are unlikely to be.

ARKANA'S DARK MAGIC DECK

1. Dark Magician 

2. Dark Magician

3. Dark Magician

4. Dark Magician Girl

5. Magician of Black Chaos

6. Zombrya the Dark

7. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer

8. Masked Sorceror

9. **Dark Magic Apperentice**

10. Sorcerer of the Doomed

11. The Man with Wdjat

12. Exclusivity Virus

13. Dark Elf

14. Flash Assailant

15. Hiro's Shadow Scout

16. Newdoria

17. Nuvia the Wicked

18. Souls of the Forgotten

19. Wall of Illusion

20. Gemini Elf

21. Breaker the Mage Knight

22. The Illusionary Gentleman

23. Skilled Black Mage

24. Apprentice Magician

25. Rouge Doll

26. Dark Eyes Illusionist

27. Black Magic Curtain

28. **Ectoplasm**

29. Magician's Tome

30. Magic Scripture

31. Monster Reborn

32. Monster Reborn

33. Shallow Grave

34. De-Spell

35. Remove Trap

36. **Anti-Magic Arrows**

37. Waboku

38. **Infernal Calamity**

39. **Dark Magic Illusion**

40. **Hall of Mirrors**

41. Thousand Knives

42. **Coins From Heaven**

43. **Crucifix of Nightmares**

44. Shadow Balance

45. **Black Magic Coffin**

46. Black Magic Ritual

47. Trap Hole

48. Reasoning

49. Mystical Space Typhoon

50. Viral Contamination 


	9. Rematch! Preist V Pharoh!

****

***Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium!***

__

Chapter 9: Rematch! Priest vs Pharoah

Seto narrowed his eyes venomously. Yugi had accepted the duel. That gave him his chance. If he couldn't win this he didn't deserve to be in the tournament. 

The edges of Seto's lips turned up slightly and he snapped his deck into place. He had already selected his DeckMaster. The Ancient Princess. A beautiful young woman from ages past. Seto had chosen her due to a niggling sense of familiarity he had experienced upon first laying eyes on the card. In the past half hour he'd been conversing heavily with her, since the advanced DeckMaster program allowed for almost human-like personalities.

"Yugi. Hurry and pick your DeckMaster! I want to duel now." His DuelDisk arms snapped together and the holographic generators exploded outwards. Seto drew his five cards and waited. Since he challenged Yugi he would have to wait for Yugi to take his turn.

Yami was leaning towards the Dark Magician but, as he pulled it out of his deck, changed his mind and placed Obelisk into the DeckMaster position. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but being able to bring out a God at anytime would come in handy.

Obelisk rose dramatically from the ground and loomed imposingly over Seto. Seto's eye twitched almost imperceptibly before his mask dropped back over his face and his cool composure returned. Yugi wanted to play that way? Fine. Seto would still win.

A crowd began to gather around them. And why wouldn't they?

__

After all, I am the greatest duellist ever. Of course they would want to watch me. Seto grinned coldly. 

"Well Yugi, start it off. We wouldn't want to keep the crowd waiting, now, would we?"

Yami drew his cards. Not a bad hand. He'd have to keep his wits about him though. Seto had most likely given his deck a complete overhaul. He changed it like that every time an important duel came around.

Yami considered his options carefully, and then selected one card. He summoned it onto the field, along with another card face-down.

"I'll summon **Matasa the Surprising** (1300/800) in Attack Mode, and 1 card face-down. And that shall end my turn." Yami confidently folded his arms across his chest. A warrior emerged from the card in front of Yami, clutching a small iron sword.

Seto snorted. _If that's the best you have then this will be a piece of cake._ He drew his new card and smirked. He put his new card onto the DuelDisk.

"I'll summon **Dongame** (1100/1200) in Attack Mode. That allows me to Special Summon another **Dongame **from my hand. And finally, I'll play **Aqua Symphony**. This magic card will increase the Attack Power of both my Dongame by 500, making them powerful enough to destroy your Matasa!"

The two small reptiles appeared on the field, accompanied by a choir of mermaids. Just as Seto was about to declare his attack Yami flipped his face-down card.

"I'll activate **United We Stand**. It'll increase the power of Matasa to 2100, so it would be best not to attack." Yami watched Seto carefully. Seto pulled a face and ended his turn.

Yami smiled. Perfect. He drew his card and smiled. He lay it on the field and summoned a second monster.

"Alright Kaiba. I'll summon **Breaker the Mage Knight** (1600/1000) in Attack Mode! And it gains 300 more ATK because it has a spell counter on it." Yami smiled. Kaiba stood to lose a lot of life points after this. "And **Matasa**'s attack is increased to 2900, since I now have another monster on the field. If I calculate correctly, then you will lose 2600 Life Points from Matasa destroying your **Dongame**, since he can attack twice in a turn. Add that to Breaker's attack and you will be left with 3500 Life Points. So if I summon **Obelisk** from the DeckMaster position..." Yami let his sentence drop off, allowing Seto to feel the maximum humiliation before destroying him.

Yami clicked the button to eject the DeckMaster so he could summon it, but Obelisk would not come out. Frustrated, Yami pressed it again. Nothing happened. Then Yami realised. Of course Obelisk couldn't be summoned. However, Yami could use Obelisk's effect, since it was accessible to him already. And that effect was the Soul Energy Max. Kaiba would be wiped out. This would be one of his easiest duels ever.

Seto slyly pressed the button on his DeckMaster Module. He knew the effect of **Ancient Princess**, and now was as good a time as ever to activate it.

****

Matasa lunged forward and destroyed both **Dongame**, reducing Seto's Life Points to 5400. **Breaker** then lunged past, giving Seto a swift chop with his sword. Finally, **Obelisk** stepped over Yami and grabbed **Matasa **and **Breaker**. Both were dissolved into it's mighty being. The crowd began to roar as they sensed a killing blow. Seto only had 3500 Life Points left. Obelisk could do 4000. Seto would be wiped out. Yami sighed.

"You weren't even a challenge this time Kaiba. It seems you will have to hand a **Blue-Eyes White Dragon **over to me. And do you know who I shall give it to? My grandpa, whose own Blue-Eyes you so heartlessly destroyed. What do you think about that Kaiba?" Yami stared imposingly at Seto. Seto merely narrowed his eyes.

"Bring it on, Yugi."

"You willingly admit defeat in the face of the god you once controlled?" Yami queried.

"Just use it's effect Yugi! Get it over and done with!" snapped Seto testily. 

Obelisk's fist glowed yellow as it speared down towards Seto. Seto simply smirked as the holographic fist smashed into him. His body was flung backwards by the force and smashed into the footpath. Seto propped himself up on one arm and hauled himself up. His left cheek was grazed and his lip was split.

Yami was about to go and collect his prize when he noticed that the DuelDisks were still active and Seto's life point indicator was frozen at 3500. He stared at Seto angrily. 

"What's this Kaiba? Why aren't you finished?" exclaimed Yami in surprise. 

Seto motioned to the Ancient Princess beside him, who was glowing slightly.

"My Ancient Princess absorbs any Life Point damage from a single turn and sends it back to my Life Point counter. So basically, my Life Points are reset to 8000. Then I gain the 8500 points of damage you did to me last turn. So, thanks to you, I have 16500 Life Points and you have no monsters protecting your Life Points!" Seto gave a dry laugh, before drawing his card.

"Excellent. I'll play **Curtain of Black Magic**. It allows me to summon a high-level monster from my deck at the cost of half my Life Points," Kaiba's Life Points dropped to 8250 ",which leaves me with 250 more Life Points than you. And I'll summon..." Kaiba held a card in the air, before slamming it down on the DuelDisk, "**Blue-Eyes White Dragon **(3000/2500)!"

"Wow. That's a big surprise," sighed Tea. "Kaiba is _so _predictable."

Yami stared at the great beast. With no cards on his side of the field his Life Points would soon be cut down to 5000. 

Seto threw his hand out in front of him, his silvery jacket flying behind him. The Blue-Eyes roared fiercely.

"Now Blue-Eyes! Burst Stream attack!" Seto shouted maliciously. It was happening. He would be able to beat Yugi. And without a god card too!

Yami covered his face with his arms as the energy washed over him, forcing him into a crouch. His body was wracked with pain.

Yami hoisted himself up and brushed some dust off of his cape. Then he drew. Calmly, he set a monster face-down, along with another two cards. 

"That shall end my turn."

Seto sneered. 

"Nothing? Oh, I'm so disappointed Yugi. But that's too bad. I think I'll just set a card and attack with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

As the white electricity crackled towards Yugi's face-down monster it flipped up to reveal **Newt **(1900/400). Newt's attack power increased to 2400. Then Yugi's other two cards rose up to reveal **Negate Attack **and **Spellbinding Circle**. The lightning disappeared into a whirling vortex and a glowing hexagon tightened around the Blue-Eyes, reducing it's ATK to 2300.

Yami smiled. Hook, line and sinker.

"Excellent. I think I'll play both my **Monster Reborn **cards to revive **Matasa the Surprising **and **Breaker the Mage Knight**. And now I'll summon **Big Shield Gardna **(100/2600) in Defense Mode!" Yami scanned over his field. He'd be able to do 4300 Life Points of damage if he decided to destroy Kaiba's face-down card with Breaker. A good option. 

"Alright Kaiba, I'll use Breaker to destroy your face-down card." Yami watched Breaker lunge forward and slice through **Rope of Life**. Seto grimaced.

"Now I'll attack you for 4300 damage when **Newt **destroys **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**, and **Breaker** and **Matasa **attack. So you have 3950 Life Points left." Yami crossed his arms as his monsters leapt forward. 

Newt gored the Blue-Eyes with it's claws, then Breaker and Matasa charged past and slashed Kaiba three times. His life points plummeted.

Groaning slightly, Seto pulled a card from his deck and bared his teeth in a semblance of a wicked grin. He summoned a monster.

"Hah! I summon **Lord of Dragons** (1200/1100) in Attack Mode and play **Flute of Summoning Dragon**. That allows me to summon my second **Blue--Eyes White Dragon**!" Kaiba watched impassively as the dragon master and his tame dragon appeared. 

'"Next I'll play **Monster Reborn** to revive my original **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**. Finally, I'll activate **Hitori no Burst Stream**, which annihilates all your monsters!" 

The two Blue-Eyes swept their lightning over the field, destroying all Yami's monsters. Yami threw his arm over his face to protect it from the stray sparks.

"No! My monsters! You're free to attack." Yami winced. He'd only have 800 Life Points left over.

"Too bad Yugi. Looks like I'll be getting Obelisk after all. Now, all of you attack at once!" cried Seto furiously.

Yami was knocked clear off his feet and into a telephone pole. His translator fell off his face and sparked slightly. As Yami struggled back up he pocketed it and drew what could be his last card.

__

Come on, Heart of the Cards, don't let me down...

Yugi gave a mental whoop when he saw what Yami had drawn. 

__

Play it Yami, play it!

****

Alright, alright.

"I shall play... **Millennium Puzzle**! It allows me to summon a Darkness Token (2500/2100). And I shall do so. It also allows me to draw a card when I activate it," Yami pulled a card from his deck and played it, " so I'll summon **Obnoxious Celtic Guardian **(1400/1200) along with the powerful magic of **Raigeki**!"

Seto shouted in horror as his monsters were all destroyed. A person whose face was swathed in shadows appeared out of the huge Millennium Puzzle floating above the battle. All Seto could discern was that it's hair looked like a porcupine and it had an Egyptian-style loincloth on. Seto was sure he'd seen the person somewhere before but couldn't place it. 

He didn't get a chance to work it out as the figure threw out it's hand. Seto's mind felt like it had been shattered inside his head. The situation only got worse as the Celtic Guardian tore through him. Seto was left gasping with just 50 Life Points left. Definitely not good.

Seto drew his card and began to laugh, a dry, cold snicker. It built up into a pealing bout of laughter. 

"Yugi, I play **Ookazi**! It lowers your Life Points down to 0. Mwa ha ha ha! I claim this victory for Kaiba! I am once again the top duellist. I am KING OF GAMES!" crowed Seto.

Yami was stunned. He'd lost. The crowd was completely silent. Then Yami retreated to his soul room. Yugi tried to contact him, but Yami was shutting himself off. Yugi pulled Obelisk out of the DeckMaster slot and strode over to Seto. Seto extended his hand expectantly. Yugi dropped Obelisk into his hand, along with the** Right Arm of Exodia**. Seto and Yugi stared at each other silently. Yugi broke the silence with an enthusiastic, if slightly strained, voice.

"Great duel Kaiba. You deserve Obelisk. But you do know I'll win it back in the finals, right?" Yugi grinned. The corner's of Seto's lips twitched in an almost imperceptible smile.

"Not a chance Yugi. Not a chance."

***

A man carefully opened the door into Thomas Harris' office. It was incredibly well furnished, with all sorts of things scattered artfully around the place. He quietly knocked on a connecting door. Thomas was likely to be meditating. He opened the door and stepped into a thick mist. 

This didn't surprise him. After all, that was how Thomas meditated. He also wasn't surprised when the mist started to whirl and sweep towards the centre of the room. Even when the mist began to form into a vaguely human shape he wasn't worried. The mist began to thicken and become almost solid. It opened it's mouth and spoke, a deep, reverberating voice.

"_What is it, mortal?"_

"Just a report, sir. Yugi Moto has just been defeated by Seto Kaiba. Kaiba now possesses Obelisk the Tormentor. Oh, and Ryou Bakura showed an instance of dis-personalization. We believe the Spirit of the Ring has returned. No report on the other Millennium Item holders."

"_No matter. It is no concern of ours if Moto loses the God Cards. The one who battles us will have collected all of them by that point anyway."_ The misty being paused before continuing. "_And if the Spirit of the Ring has returned we may be able to employ his services. Being non-corporeal can be such a bother. Contact the Spirit of the Ring, but only if he makes it to round 2."_

"Yes, Mr. Harris!" snapped the man.

__

"How many times must we tell you? You must call us Legion. For we are many."

The mist began to disperse. The man strode out of the room, his skin clammy with cold sweat. It was not good to anger Mr Har- Legion.

**************************************************


	10. Epiphany

'K, I'm back finally, after a fairly long hiatus. I had to reformat my computer, _again, _and couldn't get the Internet working for a long time. That's why I haven't been around.

All right, I have to warn you all, this chapter is more character-orientated than anything else. Barely even a sniff of Duel Monsters in this chapter. It's just pure Bakura, both Ryou and Yami. I'm not entirely sure, but this could also have traces of angst, especially in Yami Bakura's scenes. In addition, it has flashbacks of Ryou's life, which could be considered depressing. Don't say I didn't warn you.  

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO

*****Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium! *****

**_Chapter 10: Epiphany - A Change of Heart _**

Ryou walked slowly through the crowed streets of Sydney, pausing every now and then to glance into a store window. He had asked a few people whether they had wanted to duel, but all had declined. As he made to go into a small arcade, he heard a shout.

"Mum, mum look, it's Bakura, Reyo Bakura! Look mum!"

He turned to see a seven-year-old boy dragging his mother towards him. He watched in bemused interest as the child bounded towards him. He was almost knocked over as the boy leapt forward and looked up at him adoringly.

"Wow, it _is_ you! You're so cool. All evil and...grr!" The child pulled a face that looked like he was eating a wasp. His bared teeth snapped shut. "Can I have your autograph? Can I, please, please, please?"

Ryou pulled his spare cards out and crouched down to look the child in the eye. 

"You're a fan, huh? What's your name?" asked Ryou gently.

"Todd," replied the boy promptly. "And my favourite card of yours is the Dark Necrofear, cause it floats around and it's all creepy like a ghost, but it's not, cause it's got this puppet thing, and ghosts can't hold puppets, 'cause they're not real, they're this crazy plasma stuff and you have a card like that and, can I have your autograph?" The boy stopped and panted, out of breath.

"Why not? Let's see, how about my... Dark Necrofear?" he replied as he pulled the card out of the holder. It would be good to get rid of it, due to its bad memories, and the blood was gone. Mostly. 

"Yeah! That'd be so cool!" Todd exclaimed as he jumped up and down.

Ryou pulled out a pen and signed his name on the card with a florish. He was about to hand it to Todd when Todd's mother grabbed her son's hand.

"I forbid you to take anything from that boy. He's a despicable, Satanic, blood-drinking fiend!" cried the mother shrilly. Several people turned to look at them, and Ryou covered his face with his jacket. Todd started to shout and bawl as his mother dragged him around a corner. Ryou sighed, partly relieved, partly disappointed. 

Ryou decided to take a break and decided he would begin searching for a nice place for his luncheon. He stopped at a quaint little cafe and looked around. 

It was isolated from the surrounding stores and there was a verandah where Ryou could sit in the sun. Plus the menu appealed to him.

"Real English meals. Ask us about our breakfast, elevensies, second breakfast, brunch, morning tea, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper specials." Ryou read the sign aloud and grinned. It sounded just like his kind of place!

He walked inside and looked around. The cafe had lovely old polished oak tables, a raging fireplace and a real beauty of an antique cricket set in a showcase. As Ryou walked around, he was struck by a faint sense of nostalgia as long-forgotten memories of his original homeland rose to the surface of his mind.

Hurrying over to the counter, Ryou looked at the menu. Steak and kidney pies, liver, real fish and chip sandwiches, Earl Grey tea, crumpets, scones, brandy snaps and a whole assortment of other delicious foods and drinks seemed to be available to him. He pulled out his wallet. Glancing inside, he realized he didn't have any Australian money. 

Then he smiled as he saw a sign that said, "We accept all European currency."

A middle-aged woman, whose graying brown hair was tied in a bun, beamed at him from behind the cash register. 

"What'll it be, love?"

Ryou licked his lips. It all sounded so good.

"Umm, I'll have a cup of Earl Grey, a plate of crumpets and jam and some scones and cream, if it's not too much of a hassle."

The woman snorted derisively.

"'Course it's not dear. My, you do have an accent. Can't quite place it. Where are you from?" she started to chat idly. 

"Umm, Japan, but England originally. That's why I have an unusual accent."

"Oh right, lovely. Wonderful to know we have some wonderful child ex-patriots in such cultural places." She stopped to peer at the visor, which covered Ryou's left eye. "My, what a strange device that is. Is it alright if I ask what it is?"

Ryou chuckled slightly.

"It's a translator. All Duelists in the World Championship that's taking place here are provided with one, so we can Duel people who speak other languages."

The woman looked mildly interested as she busied herself with the tea.

"Oh, you're a duelist. My nephew loves that game, and some of you Japanese fellows are quite the players, from what I've heard." Ryou blushed at that comment.

"Thank you. Yes, many of the duelists in this competition are Japanese. I suppose because it originated there."

"Oh, yes, most likely. Is that fellow Yungi, or Yupi, or whoever, still champion?"

Ryou laughed at that and replied warmly. 

"You mean Yugi Moto. Yes, he's still World Champion. A very nice guy."

"Oh, you know him?" The woman paused to think for a moment. "Are you that Joey Wheeler chap?"

Ryou's cheeks turned slightly crimson. To be compared to Joey? Oh, that was amusing, if a little degrading.

"No, no I'm not. Why?"

The woman sighed. 

"Pity. My nephew thinks he's great. Only fellow he likes more is that horrid Ryou Bakura fellow. Him and his demons and witchcraft. Such a bad influence on the young ones."

Now Ryou really started to blush. The woman noticed this and peered at him quizzically. 

"Hold on. You're not him are you? Wait, no, he's older than you."

Ryou decided to go with that. He didn't like to lie, but the woman seemed so nice, and a partial lie was better than an outright one. As he started to talk, he blushed even more.

"No, I'm not him. He's my older brother. I prefer more tame themes for my decks."

The woman clapped her hands to her cheeks in surprise and embarrassment.

"Oh my Good Lord, I'm so sorry. I haven't insulted you, have I? I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that, well, you know, I just feel it's wrong to be using such cards when young children are going to look up to you."

Ryou turned away from her slightly and grabbed his tray of food. As he turned away, he paused and pulled a card from his pocket. He dropped it onto the counter, along with the correct change for his meal. It was a signed card; his Dark Necrofear that was to be for Todd, whose mother had also disapproved of his Yami's past deck themes. On it, in looped writing were the words, _Ryou Bakura_. 

Ryou smiled slightly as he walked towards his table. As he headed towards it, he called out to her. 

"For your nephew. Tell him it's wonderful to know he's a fan."

***

Ryou sighed in contentment as he swallowed the last of his tea. His luncheon had been absolutely superb, and the settings were wonderful. He was partially covered by the shade of an umbrella, but the sun was shining on his face and he felt content, peaceful and sleepy. 

He decided to catch up on some sleep. He was feeling most terribly sleepy from the jetlag of flying halfway across the world. After all, he had 2 pieces required to reach the next round already. He'd be able to get the other three sometime later. 

As his mind began to drift in and out of light sleep, he partially overheard 2 teens chatting at the table next to him.

"So, with the power of your White Magic User Ulysses and my Magical Beast Warrior Jono, we can roll to injure the demon Zork."

"Yeah, but we've gotta roll a critical to even scratch him!"

"No way! A critical? That means we have to roll a 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100 to hurt him? That's impossible!"

Ryou's mind swam as he heard this.

_Monster World! It has to be! Watch out for Yami, he'll destroy your souls!_

***

Yami Bakura stared down at Ryou. Ryou was moaning softly as he slept, squirming slightly in his cafe chair. He'd just woken up and realized that Ryou was asleep. Had he felt like it, he might well have tried to gain control of Ryou's body, but, for some unknown reason, even to himself, he didn't feel like it. He decided instead to jump into Ryou's soul room and have a peek at what his vessel was dreaming about.

His spiritual form flickered and vanished from beside Ryou as he traveled into Ryou's soul. 

***

Yami Bakura glanced around. He seemed to be standing in a long, cobbled stone hallway. It looked just like a castle Ryou's father had taken him to when he was twelve. That had been one week before the trip to Egypt, where he had found the Millennium Ring and taken it back as a gift to his son. That had been when _he_ had awakened. 

Another twinge of that strange feeling flared inside of Yami Bakura. He dismissed it quickly, but still, he couldn't help feeling a little unsettled by it. He stalked down the hallway, glancing around at all the tools of pain and torture bolted to the walls. For there was a lot there.

Thumbscrews, iron maidens, racks, rusty nails, iron crucifixes with enormous bolts to attach the victim's hands and feet to the cross. Yami Bakura took note of all these and continued walking. Then it struck him; there had never been any torture equipment in the halls of the castle Ryou had visited. 

Yami Bakura walked up to a piece of equipment and laid his palms on it. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath as he began to concentrate. All items in a soul room had an essence, which could be used to see where exactly in the mind they originated. As he concentrated, the hallway began to warp and bend around him, until it was just a vague purple mist. Yami Bakura opened his eyes slowly, wanting to see what would cause Ryou to conjure up such images of misery. 

Just ahead of him, Yami Bakura could see the misty form of Ryou, only partly solid, as he was just a memory. He was sobbing loudly, his head buried in his hands. He seemed to be sitting next to some kind of bed. Yami Bakura approached cautiously. As he walked closer, details became more readily apparent. The bed was a hospital bed, and next to it was a heart monitor. Yami Bakura noticed, with some apprehension, that it was emitting a continual high-pitched sound. Whoever had been connected to it, their heart had stopped.

Yami Bakura walked up to the side of the bed and glanced down. What he saw was a pitiful sight. A young girl lie on the sheets, deathly pale, thin to the point of emancipation, her hair no more than a few wisps that hung on her scalp. Most of it had fallen out. Yami Bakura wasn't sure, but it looked to him like she'd had terminal cancer. He could see her frame outlined beneath her hospital nightgown. Her chest was so thin that each rib was clearly defined and her stomach seemed little more than a crater between her waist and her chest.

Yami Bakura looked away from her, preferring to gaze upon Ryou himself. Ryou looked a mess. He couldn't have been more than twelve at the time, and his body was wracked with sobs. Yami Bakura decided to leave this memory alone. Obviously a bad moment in Ryou's life.

Letting go of the torture tool, Yami Bakura blinked as the hallway snapped back into focus. He stepped over to the next one and placed his hands on it. Then he hesitated. The last memory had been... unsettling, to say the least. But now his curiousity had flared inside of him. He had to see. He grabbed the next item and entered Ryou's memory.

Ryou was crouched in the hallway of his house, just near the staircase. He was peering intently down at the front door. Here Ryou appeared to be about twelve. Yami Bakura walked up to Ryou, totally unseen, not even present to Ryou. He stared down at the door. Ryou's father was there, talking to a policeman. The police officer placed his hand on Ryou's father's shoulder as he said something gently. Ryou's father began to shudder slightly and his voice became strained. After some more conversation between the officer and Ryou's father, the officer departed. As his father closed the door, Ryou ran down the steps, distressed.

"Dad? Dad, what happened? Where's mum!?" cried Ryou urgently as his father turned to him, his eyes full of sadness. Yami Bakura watched as Ryou stared into his father's eyes. Realization flashed across Ryou's face, ugly and grotesque, then he fell to his knees, crying. Ryou's father walked slowly up to him and hugged Ryou, rocking him slowly. Yami Bakura faded out of existence.

Yami Bakura grabbed the next item, fully engrossed now. Every time he saw one of these memories, he felt that strange feeling, stronger and stronger, and was fast becoming addicted to it.

The next memory threw Yami Bakura off. As he looked around, he didn't think it looked so bad. Ryou was now about fourteen, and was sitting in his room, writing a letter. Yami Bakura decided to go and see whom it was to.

He leaned over Ryou's shoulder and read the first line. His eyes narrowed slightly as an icy cold crept through him. The first line was _Dear Amane,_ nothing special. Except for the fact that Amane was Ryou's sister, dead for four years before this had happened. Yami Bakura continued reading.

_Dear Amane,_

_How are you? I hope summer camp is treating you well. Thanks for the last letter._

Yami Bakura stopped reading and looked on the desk. There was another letter there, addressed to Ryou, from his sister Amane. Dark shadows curled around Yami Bakura as he took in what he was seeing. A letter from Amane, to Ryou, written in _Ryou's _handwriting. Yami Bakura went to the other side of the desk, crouched down and looked in Ryou's eyes. They were full of deep sadness, and, Yami Bakura thought, a hint of madness too.

Unable to help himself, Yami Bakura continued to read Ryou's letter. 

_Dear Amane,_

_How are you? I hope summer camp is treating you well. Thanks for the last letter. I hope you've managed to get a transfer to a cabin with better roommates. _

_As for me, I've been working on my Japanese essay for school for the past week. We have to write about one family member and I managed to write 10 pages about you, since you're the best sister anyone could have. But don't tell anyone I said that._

_My new school is treating me well, no bullies yet, which is more than I can say for the past two schools we went to. The teachers are really nice, but don't seem to want to talk about you very much. When I told the class about you during my introduction everyone was really quiet and looked at me in this weird way. I hope someone hasn't been spreading those silly rumors that you're dead. Can you believe it? I mean, just because you've been gone a while doesn't mean you're dead._

_I managed to keep Dad from changing your room again. I'm going to keep it exactly the same as when you left for when you come home. I'll be waiting._

_Love, Ryou_

_P.S. I found this great new game to play. It's wonderful. It's called Monster World and it's a Table Top Role Playing Game (TTRGP). You'd probably say it was silly, but I think you'll like it. I'll teach you how to play when you get back._

***

Yami Bakura grabbed another tool of misery and headed in. He promised himself that this would be the last one. He wanted to get out of Ryou's soul room before Ryou awoke.

Ryou was standing in a deserted alleyway, with rain pouring down around him. He was soaked to the bone. He seemed only partially awake.

"Huh? Wh-where am I? What am I doing here?"

Ryou turned to hurry out of the alleyway and tripped over something. Him hauled himself up and looked down at what it was he'd fallen over. Then he started to scream. It was a dead body.

Yami Bakura was thrown out of the memory so forcefully that he fell backwards onto the cold stone floor. He sputtered a little as he got up. He was shocked. Truly shocked.

That had been the first time he'd emerged from the ring. He had killed a bully who'd been picking on Ryou and then gone back to the Ring. He had no idea he'd so greatly affected Ryou then. The waves of distress and shock that had thrown him out of the memory had been immense. He glanced up the hallway. There were probably about another hundred or so torture devices left. If they went in chronological order, as Yami Bakura supposed they were, then it was most likely all the remaining memories were something to do with him. He went to the next and began to check.

***

Yami Bakura sat in a corner of the hallway, stunned at what he'd seen over the past 2 hours. Almost every one of the memories showcased here had something to do with _him._ The way _he _had acted. It was startling how much he had changed Ryou's sense of reality, self-worth and perception. He was amazed that he'd affected Ryou so much and even more amazed that the knowledge that he had affected Ryou was affecting him. But then, he supposed he shouldn't have been that surprised. After all, the only way he'd been able to escape that god-awful realm of darkness was to seal his darkness into the Ring itself. He'd known there was a chance his negative energy could become depleted from his escape, but he never thought it would happen.  

Yami Bakura yawned. The memory hopping had really drained him. Time for a bit of a kip in the ol' Millennium Ring. Yami Bakura stretched, yawned again and faded out of sight.

He re-materialized in his soul-room. He strode over to his bed, trailing his palm along the rough wooden wall as he did so. He slumped onto the bed and grabbed a cracked, stained mug from the broken bedside table. His soul-room was an exact recreation of his living arrangement back in his home village of Kuruelna. It was little more than a hovel, but Bakura felt comfortable there. There were only two differences between his soul-room and the real thing. The first was the boarded-up window. The window let only tiny shafts of light through, creating swirling dust motes.

Bakura had tried to take the boards out many times, but never could. Since he'd retrieved his memories of his Ancient Egyptian life, he'd been able to understand why. If he took them out, he would see the village burning around him, the other members of this community of thieves being boiled as sacrifices for the ritual transmutation of gold into the mystical metal from which the Millennium Items were molded. He didn't want to go through that again.

The second difference was the collection of stone tablets in the corner of the room. Some were small, with obscure legends and dark secrets, while others were huge slabs. He even had a mental version of the tablet depicting the Pharaoh's duel with Priest Set, with the gods watching over them. The one from his host's father's museum.

But the pride of the collection was a tablet in the shape of a sarcoughogus lid. It had spaces for all seven of the Millennium Items. It was the tablet of the Pharaoh's father, the crafter of the items and the unknowing releaser of the dark force known as Zork Necrophades. The dark force which Bakura strived to control.

But now he was different. Ever since he'd escaped the Dark Realm his spiritual self was changing, ever so slowly at first, now rapidly transforming. All his darkness was draining away. Bakura lay back on his bed, wondering what would become of him if he were to let go dark side. As he wondered he drifted off to sleep and his mind wandered back to the Darkness.

***

"Prentice Baka! Hand me the celestial notes of the fourth conjunction." 

A wizened, yet sneaky-looking, old man grumbled under his breath about bigoted youngsters. Bakura grit his teeth. He was really getting frustrated with the old man, but he still needed the old fellow. But soon he could be rid of him.

Bakura stepped over a pentagram painted in blood, since it was still wet and discrepancies in the portal could be disastrous. He glanced around. The place was entirely black, lit only by the old man's glowing orb. As he walked along, he kicked the man whose blood had been spilt. It grunted and protested heartily.

"Oi! Just 'cause I'm dismembered doesn't mean you have the right to kick me!"

Bakura snarled at him. 

"Oh shut the hell up. I know you're immortal here, but we all are, so there's no point trying to impress me!"

He then handed the book to the old warlock.

"Yes master. Here you go master. Would you desire anything else, _master_?" replied Bakura sarcastically.

The old man peered up from below scruffy eyebrows. 

"Keep that up and I may not let you leave, young prentice."

Bakura laughed gruffly. He didn't believe him.

"I highly doubt it. Without me you cannot leave."

The old man snorted. He shuffled back to his seat before replying.

"I've been here for millennia. You think another couple will really matter to me?"

Bakura froze at that. The old man had a point. Maybe he shouldn't push his master's limits. The old man chuckled and continued talking.

"Now, just you remember, to escape you have to suppress the evil within you. Since this is a place where only evil can enter and good may leave, that is why no one person has ever escaped before." He paused and turned to a certain page in the book before continuing. "But you are different. You have learned in six months what has taken me thousands of years to discover. And you wonder why the others hate you so." Bakura winced. Many people here were beyond human and he'd taken quite a beating upon arrival, being the first to arrive in well over a thousand years. 

"But you are lucky also. Having learned so fast, and possessing a magical item in the physical realm, you will simply be able to transfer your dark energy to that item. Now let's go over this again. In five minutes..." he trailed off and looked expectantly at Bakura.

"In five minutes time the polarities of this dimension will swap over, changing the entrance and exit requirements. I'll have roughly 3 seconds to transfer as much of my dark energy to the ring as possible."

The old man nodded in agreement and continued. 

"Exactly. Then I shall do my stuff and stick a trigger in your mind. It'll only go off...?"

Bakura sighed.

"When my real name is uttered aloud. I know, I know. Let's just get ready."

He walked over to the pentagram and lay down in the middle, a limb in each different point, and his head in the fifth. The old man handed him a small marble-like object.

"Here is my essence. You should be able to get this out into the physical realm and implant someone with it. Then I shall be free of this wretched place as well."

Bakura noticed the blackness was beginning to lighten. 

"Get out of her, old man. It's about to start."

The warlock scurried away just as the pentagram began to glow. Bakura waited for the moment of reversal. Three...two...one..._there!_

He forced as much dark energy out of himself as he could. It burst upwards in a solid beam, straight up into a whirling portal that had opened. Almost as quickly as it opened, it snapped shut again, leaving Bakura stranded with what was left of his dark energy. Hoping it was enough, Bakura willed himself to leave.

His body took on a floating sensation as he drifted up towards a piercing light. He was just about to go through it when an etheric being appeared before him. The real Gate Guardian. He looked like he was made out of pure light.

"_You dare to attempt to leave when you are impure?"_ roared the being. It hefted a silvery blade and swung it mightily.

"Yes I do. And if you don't mind, I would like to leave. Surely I am near pure?"

The being considered him for a moment.

"True. But pure to you is not as to me." He drew the blade up in the air when Bakura threw the evil essence of the warlock at him. It shattered on the blade and dripped over the being. Bakura heard whispery shouts of agony and felt satisfied when he saw a smoky image of the old warlock evaporating from coming into contact with pure goodness. But it did the trick. The guardian was weakened enough, and Bakura's body was now pure enough, to allow Bakura to pass through the guardian and into the portal. He was going home!

***

Bakura awoke with a start. He stared wildly around his hovel, sweating heavily. He had dreamt that he was throwing Ryou over a cliff, over and over again. Standing up, Bakura made his decision. It was time for reconciliation. 

He strode into Ryou's soul-room hallway and hammered loudly on the oak door, which connected to the main room.

Ryou opened the door drowsily and was quite shocked when his Yami came barging through.

Yami Bakura did a sharp about face so he was facing Ryou, took a deep breath and rushed out, **_"Ryou, I want to apologies for the way I've treated you up until now, and want to ask for your forgiveness."_** He spun around, so his back was to Ryou and became very interested in a model boat on a table.

"_Wha-What? You, what? I'm afraid I don't quite understand you,"_ muttered Ryou quietly. He had heard, but he wanted to make sure.

**_"I want to apologies for the way I've treated you and want to ask if we can share your body harmoniously," _**Bakura growled quietly. **_"Don't make me say it again."_**

****

"_Well, quite frankly, I'm at a loss for words, Yami. I, I really don't know. I'm willing to accept your apology, but..."_ Ryou bit his lip apprehensively. 

**_"But what?!"_**__

_"I can't trust you enough to have control of my body, even for short periods of time."_

****

**_"What the blazes do you mean? Why can't I have my fair share of time in control of your body?" _**

****

_"Probably because you tend to main or steal any time you do get control of my body." _Ryou's mental form looked slightly amused, even if he was strained. He looked around his room. It was a small, brick affair, reminiscent of his early English home. 

There was a fire burning merrily in a nearby fire place and shelves around the wall full of various objects, from Monster World avatars and boards to artifacts from various locations around the world, mental selves of gifts received by Ryou from his father's travels. On a coffee table beside Ryou a photo frame held a picture of a smiling woman and her daughter, Ryou's mother and sister, both dead.

Yami Bakura, on the other hand, looked anything but amused. His face was red with rage and his fists were tightly clenched. 

_At least he isn't shouting yet_, Ryou thought to himself. A few moments passed, in which time Yami Bakura decided to change his tact.

**_"Please, Ryou? I've changed my ways, honestly, I have. It required most of my dark spirit to escape that god-forsaken realm, since only good spirits may pass from that realm back to others. Ask Shadi. He'll tell you. And that'll be proof that I've changed."_**

****

Yami Bakura looked pleadingly at his counterpart, who seemed to be mulling it over. Ryou was tempted to believe him. After all, Shadi had mentioned that fact to him before. It had been to try to reassure Ryou that his yami wouldn't return. 

Ryou paced the room, finally stopping at a shelf. He picked up a model tower, an avatar of the castle of Dark Master Zork in Monster World. He threw it to Yami Bakura, who caught it deftly. Yami Bakura, upon realizing what it was, averted his eyes in shame.

_"You remember. That's the model you stabbed my hand into so I couldn't help Yugi and the others while they were avatars." _He glanced down at his hand. It still bore a small, twisted scar. He continued walking and tossed a card over to Yami Bakura. 

Yami Bakura sighed. He knew what that would be. The Change of Heart card he had sealed Ryou's soul into at the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

**_"About that. Sorry. I was different then." _**Yami Bakura seemed slightly unsure of what to say.

Ryou looked hurt. 

_"I'm not saying you are still the same. I just want you to remember what you've put me through."_

Ryou sighed. He was naturally a forgiving person, and he'd always longed for a permanent friend. If his Yami had changed it would be nice to have someone to talk to. He hesitated.

_"I'm sorry, I can't. It's too soon."_ Ryou's body vanished before his yami's very eyes. Yami Bakura slumped into a leather armchair. 

He fiddled guiltily with the model tower he still held. As he stared at it, he noticed that the tower's spire was slightly rusted and bloodstained. This caused him to sigh with regret. Over the past day or so all his negative feelings, his rage, his hatred, everything that made him what he had previously been, was slowly disappearing. He had known this would happen, but now he knew that he had never really believed it would happen. If he had, he would never havegone through with it.

As Ryou's real body roused and pulled itself out of the cafe chair, Bakura couldn't help but think to himself, "_I suppose I might have deserved that."_

_---------------------------------------_


	11. Spirit of a Duelist

***** Tournament of the Millennium! *****

Chapter 11: Spirit of a Duelist 

****

Ryou shook slightly as he dragged himself out of his café chair. His Yami had just begged him for forgiveness, and he had refused it. He was not shaking because he was scared of the repercussions, but because of the adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream. He smiled slightly as he left the café and headed back into the busy streets of Sydney.

As Ryou walked along the crowded street he heard a large cheer from an assemblage of people on all sides of two duelists. It seemed one had just declared victory over the other. Ryou nudged through the crowd until he was at the front. From his excellent vantage point Ryou could observe everything within the dueling field's confines. A young lady, presumably the loser, was sobbing loudly and shaking slightly as she handed her rarest card over to her opponent. She was young, maybe 21 at the most, and very pretty. She had long auburn hair, which fell to her waist, before curling slightly at the ends, a slim but lusciously curved body and large, sky-blue eyes. Overall, a very alluring woman.

Nevertheless, Ryou did not really notice. His attention was totally on the victor. Gareki. The Spirit Master. Gareki was the number one Spirit duelist in the entire world. He was Ryou's idol and role model.  Ryou studied him in awe. He had never seen Gareki in the flesh before. Gareki looked to be about thirty years old, with a shining, shaven head and a carefully cultivated, pencil-thin moustache. He was chunky, and his thickset body was wrapped in a black robe, which fell to the knee. Below that were the lower legs of a black gi and designer leather boots. His face was bright and roly-poly, with a kind of boyish charm about it. 

Ryou watched, slightly awestruck, as Gareki strode towards him. Ryou stepped aside to make a path for Gareki as he strode forward and Gareki swept past. Just as he left the crowd he paused and spun around. Looking around the crowd, Gareki's eyes lit up when he saw Ryou. He rushed up to Ryou and pulled him out onto the dueling space so everyone could see them.

"Why, you're Ryou Bakura! I saw your duel on the private dueling channel this DuelDisks have," stated Gareki casually as he held up his DuelDisk to accentuate his point. 

"You have an excellent Spirit deck my young friend. In fact, I feel it is so good that I want to challenge you to a duel. Say, half an hour to prepare, and one Exodia piece up for grabs?" 

Ryou nodded dumbly. He was being asked for a duel by who was currently his greatest influence in the Duel Monsters world. In half an hour, he would be having possibly the greatest duel of his life!

Gareki smiled warmly and swung around to face the crowds.

"Well, you heard him! I am to duel again in half an hour, right here, so don't go away!"

Gareki wandered off to a bench to sit down and re-organize his deck. Ryou sat down where he was and pulled his side deck out. Since he was going to be dueling another spirit duelist he would have to prepare accordingly. 

***

Gareki snapped his deck into his DuelDisk and stood up. 32 minutes had passed since Ryou agreed to duel him. Now was the time for them to duel.

He walked back to the dueling area, a large concreted car park. There were dozens of people milling around, waiting for the duel to begin. And Ryou, standing ready in the center of the field.

Crouched on its haunches behind Ryou was a small white rabbit. It was the **Inaba White Rabbit**, the same DeckMaster he had used the last time. Just behind Gareki was a floating, high-tech machine. Ryou recognized it as a **Matter Conversion Machine**, a staple in any Spirit deck if you could get it. Ryou had yet to acquire one. 

Both duelists walked to the centre and shook hands, Ryou's hair bobbing slightly as they did. As they separated Ryou bent in towards Gareki.

"I believe you challenged me. That means I begin." He raised his eyebrows at Gareki.

"Indeed. So let's get this started."

Ryou strode back to his position and turned to face Gareki. Quickly, he snapped six cards from the top of his deck. He looked at his hand and smiled faintly. He had **Thieving Goblin, Dust Chute, Great Long Nose, Spring of Rebirth, Inaba White Rabbit **and **Hellish Flame Fist**. Examining his hand carefully, Ryou slipped two of them out. 

"I'll set two cards face-down (**Thieving Goblin/Dust Chute**) and summon **Inaba White Rabbit** in attack mode!" called Ryou as his second rabbit bounded out and bounced around two cards that appeared. He then took one of his other cards and slid it into his DuelDisk.

"I'm also activating the Magic card **Spring of Rebirth**. It'll give me 500 Life Points when a Spirit returns to my hand." 

The concrete split open and clear, sparkling water began to gush out. Ryou clicked a button to end his turn and pulled his **Inaba White Rabbit **card back into his hand. His Life Points rolled up to 8500 as the spring's effect activated.

Gareki smirked as he drew his card.

"A good opening move my friend, and with two cards on the field you may well be safe from my monster. Therefore, I will play **Awakening of Spirit**. It's a Continuous Magic card which increases the attack of my Spirit monsters by 300," stated Gareki calmly.

He picked another card from his hand and placed it in the DuelDisk.

"With **Awakening of Spirit** on the field I'm free to activate **Mystical Cosmos Typhoon**. It allows me to destroy 1 of my Magic cards, namely **Awakening of Spirit**, to destroy your two traps."

As the cyclone twisted towards Ryou he pressed two buttons on his DuelDisk.

"I'm chaining your card by activating both of my Trap Cards. One of them, **Thieving Goblin**, takes 500 of your Life Points and adds it to mine," Ryou's Life Points increased again to 9000, "while the other, **Dust Chute**, lets me shuffle 1 monster in your hand into your deck."

Four giant cards appeared around Gareki. **Otohime, Afterlife, Sebak's Blessing **and **Asura Priest**.

Ryou knew the choice was obvious. 

"I'll send **Asura Priest **back into your deck, which must be shuffled again. I suppose that ends your turn?"

Gareki shook his head. 

"No. I shall summon **Otohime** (0/100) in face-down Defense Mode and end my turn."

Ryou drew his next card and set it on the field. 

"Now I shall summon **Inaba White Rabbit **(700/500) and equip it with **Hellish Flame Fist**, to power it up to 900. And now I can attack you directly."

Ryou's rabbit cocked back its fist and dived forward, it's clenched paw igniting as it sped towards Gareki. It knocked him back onto his rear and Gareki's Life Points dropped to 6600. Ryou's increased by 500 up to 9500.

"Oh yes, that's right. **Hellish Flame Fist** gives my 500 Life Points when the equipped monster does Life Points of damage," mumbled Ryou. His rabbit was pulled back into his hand, so Ryou took back the card and the Equipped Magic card to use again. Ryou's Life Points jumped again to 10000.

Gareki smirked as he pulled himself back up. He drew his card and placed it on the field.

"You've fought well so far, but now I play **Matter Transferal**. It allows me to flip a coin. If it is heads I can draw 4 new cards." 

A holographic coin spun in the air and stopped to reveal that it was heads. Gareki drew his four new cards and smiled.

"Excellent. Now I can play this! **Prohibition**. It allows me to prohibit **Inaba White Rabbit**, so you cannot play it again. Moreover, I can also use **Graceful Charity** to draw three new cards. Then I discard these 2," stated Gareki as he slotted two cards into the graveyard.

"Finally, I tribute Otohime to summon **Great Long Nose**, and then attack you directly."

The **Great Long Nose** (1900/1700) lunged forward and smashed into Ryou. But strangely, instead of dropping, his Life Points increased by 100.

"What? What happened?" asked Gareki quickly.

Ryou's facedown card flipped up and sprawling vines burst everywhere.

"My **Poison Hiribi no Hades **gives me 2000 Life Points before you attack. And since your Long Nose had only 1900 ATK I ended up with 100 more Life Points than before."

Gareki growled as he placed another card on the field. 

"Now, normally, **Great Long Nose** would return to my hand, but I can reduce the attack of my DeckMaster, Matter Conversion Machine, by 100 to keep it on the field until my next turn."

Ryou drew another card and smiled.

"**Chishiki **will allow me to acquire three more cards. Then, I set 3 cards face-down and activate **Afterlife **to Normal Summon my own Level 5 monster, but I'll summon it in face-down Defense Mode."

Ryou looked at his field. He was now standing behind a constantly bubbling brook, with three more cards facedown in front of him and a mysterious facedown monster.

Gareki smirked as he drew and summoned another Monster, an **Asura Priest **(1700/1200).

"I see you've been forced onto the defense. Ah, well. Now, **Asura Priest**, attack!"

The fairy-like creature flew forward and slammed into Ryou's monster, which revealed itself to be another **Great Long Nose**. The **Asura Priest** grappled with the **Great Long Nose **briefly, before it was surrounded with flames and exploded. Gareki's Life Points fell to 6400.

"What happened? **Asura Priest** has an ATK power equal to **Great Long Nose's** DEF. Neither should have been destroyed!"

Ryou smiled slightly as two of his cards swung up.

"I activated **Hellish Flame Fist** to give **Great Long Nose **200 more DEF. Then I activated **Counter Punch**. If a monster attacks another with lower ATK than the defending monster's DEF, it is destroyed."

Gareki clenched his teeth and ended his turn. Both of the Long Noses returned to their hands and Ryou's Life Points climbed up to 10600.

Ryou grinned at Gareki as he drew his new card.

"I'm surprised Gareki. I expected a greater challenge from my idol and role model. It is really disappointing. I suppose I'll summon the **Century Thief** (1000/1000) and attack you directly."

A cunning, unkempt man appeared on the field and rushed forward to stick a dagger in Gareki's chest. Gareki winced a little, but the Damage Setting was only 20%, so it did not hurt that much.

"Now I get to name a card and if it's in your hand you have to discard it. Therefore, I choose **Great Long Nose**! And I get to see your hand."

Gareki's hand rose up once again to reveal **Great Long Nose, Sebak's Blessing, Rebirth of Spirits **and **Yata Garasu**. The **Great Long Nose **disintegrated into powder and the other three disappeared. 

Gareki drew his card and smirked confidently at Ryou. When he spoke, his voice was calm and concentrated.

"You've played well so far. But now I will turn this match around. I will set both of my Magic/Trap cards and set **Yata Garasu** (200/100) facedown. And now I activate **Sanctuary**! It allows us both to draw until we have six cards in our hand."

Gareki extracted six cards from his deck, Ryou, only 3. Gareki looked at his hand and smiled slightly. 

"I'll set 2 cards face-down and play **Spirit Redemption**. It allows me to send one Spirit Monster in my hand to the Graveyard to place one from my Graveyard into my hand. So I'll take back **Great Long Nose** and end my turn."

Gareki watched Ryou confidently as a large stone tablet appeared. It had a giant, muscular man with huge wings on its back and a serpent's tail as the lower half of its body carved into it. As quickly as it appear it shattered and a large demonic figure soared towards Gareki, before being pulled into its card. 

Ryou looked at the four cards facedown on Gareki's side of the field. He knew two of them were **Sebak's Blessing **and **Rebirth of Spirit**, but he had no idea what the other two may be. 

Ryou drew his card and looked at it. He decided to use it.

"I'll equip **Century Thief **with **Demotion**, which reduces its level by 2, down to 1. In addition, that allows me to activate my DeckMaster's effect. **Inaba White Rabbit** lets monsters of Level 2 or lower attack directly. So, **Century Thief**, attack his Life Points!"

The man leaped around the facedown Yata Garasu and yet again shoved his dagger into Gareki, but this time, into his leg. Gareki's Life Points dropped to 4600.

"I know you sent **Great Long Nose **back into your hand, so that is the card I shall choose Gareki. You have to discard it again," stated Ryou softly.

For the third time in the duel Gareki's hand appeared for all to see.

"It seems you guessed right. I have **Great Long Nose, Shadow Utensil **and **Fountain of Illusions**. So my **Great Long Nose **is destroyed."

Gareki slotted the card into his graveyard and drew another to mark the beginning of his turn.

"Hmm, I shall activate my **Rebirth of Spirit**! It allows me to destroy one Spirit Monster I have on the field to Normal Summon another from my Graveyard. So I think I'll call back my greatest Spirit Monster, one I put in the Graveyard especially to revive." 

Gareki sneered at Ryou as Yata Garasu vanished and the stone tablet reappeared.

"Behold, **Diabound**!" roared Gareki ferociously.

**Diabound **(2200/1900) burst out of the tablet and shards of stone sprayed everywhere. It lifted its head and loosed a cry of primal fury, which echoed throughout the street. The watching crowd fell silent at the sight of the truly raging beast.

"**Diabound **is my greatest possession. A beast that can only get stronger as it kills. In addition, as it kills it becomes more experienced and learns more and more abilities, until it is unstoppable!"

Gareki roared triumphantly as his beast swung its vicious talons. Inside of Ryou's mind, his Yami snapped his attention towards the beast, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

It cannot be! Diabound, my very soul beast! The greatest soul beast ever to exist! It is so powerful that it has killed gods!

****

Ryou decided to get some inside information and tentatively started up a conversation.

****

_That doesn't sound promising for me. I hope you are exaggerating out of pride here._

**_I am not. Though I do not know its exact abilities, if the card is anything like my beast you must be ready for anything. And I mean anything. It can phase, shroud itself in darkness, emulate techniques, and shield itself with lost souls, just about anything._**

****

_Very, very bad then._

Nevertheless, what a chance! If you can get that I can make a truly spectacular deck, plus it will make a fine addition to your Spirit collection. I must have it!

****

It occurred to neither Ryou, nor his yami, that they were discussing this in a way that could be considered friendly, or at worst, courteous.

Ryou was snapped out of his thought by Gareki's next move. 

"I shall now activate my set **Channel of Soul**, which will double Diabound's Attack power! Therefore, he will have 4400 ATK! And now, my ferocious beast shall tear your puny thief limb from limb!" chuckled Gareki.

Diabound began to glow as a stone appeared around his neck, which strengthened his connection to the physical realm. He lunged forward and the bottom half, which was a long, deadly serpent, swept forward and bit the Century Thief in the neck. The Century Thief began to writhe as the quick-acting venom took effect and soon died. Ryou watched his Life Points drop to 7200 as Gareki's climbed to 9000.

"I activate **Sebak's Blessing**, so I gain 4400 Life Points after Diabound's attack. Now, since I have two spaces in my Magic/Trap zones, I will set two of my remaining three cards and end my turn. But since I don't want **Diabound **to return to my hand and lose **Channel of Soul**, I'll activate my DeckMaster Effect, which will keep it there to protect and serve me."

**Diabound** roared and flexed its wings as its ATK rose to 4600. Ryou gasped in surprise.

"Remember what I said. Diabound gets stronger with every kill, and learns new tricks as well. As for what he has learnt to do, well, you'll just have to find out yourself.

Ryou gulped as he drew his next card. Looking at it, he had a sudden flash of inspiration. He stared Gareki in the eyes, his own steady and calm.

"I can defeat your beast. It is strong, but I don't need to attack it. I have a card which can get rid of it completely."

Gareki snorted slightly at this.

"I hardly believe you drew a card which can destroy it. Any card which destroys an opponent's monster without too great a down side is a rare card."

Ryou smiled mysteriously.

"I think I'll play **Big Bang Shoot**. I'll equip it to Diabound. It increases Diabound's ATK by 400, and it gives him a Trample ability, so he can damage Life Points even if he attacks a Defense-mode monster," stated Ryou as a large cannon constructed itself around Diabound's left arm.

"And how, pray tell, will that help _you_ in any way?" leered Gareki.

Ryou chose another card from his hand.

"With **Typhoon Spirit**. It allows me to destroy one of my Magic/Trap cards to destroy two of yours. So I'll summon it in face up Defense Mode (0/1000). And the handy thing is, if **Big Bang Shoot** is destroyed the monster it is equipped to is removed from the game. So if I destroy my **Big Bang Shoot**, not only do I get rid of two of your M/T cards, I also vanquish **Diabound**."

Gareki smirked as the Typhoon Spirit began to gust wind around the place.

"Too bad Ryou. Time to see Diabound's first ability. _Invisibility**. **_It'll cause Typhoon Spirit's effect to become negated, since Diabound is no longer visible. All I have to do is discard one card."

Before Ryou's very eyes Diabound faded into its own shadow and vanished. The Typhoon Spirit's gale swept harmlessly past.

Ryou looked around and Diabound slowly materialized back into reality. Ryou snapped his hand together and ended his turn.

Gareki drew his new card and glanced at it. It didn't really matter what it was, as long as he kept one card in his hand for use with Diabound's Invisibility technique. The card he had discarded last turn had been **Fountain of Illusions**. 

"Diabound, attack the **Typhoon Spirit**! With its new power and the Trample effect, I can deal 4000 Life Points of damage to you! So prepare to feel some pain!" laughed Gareki feverishly.

Ryou watched the great monster target him with the cannon and fire a ball of plasma at him. Quickly, he activated one of his trap cards and it raised up to reveal a picture of a green vortex.

"Activate **Drain Shield**! It negates the attack and I gain 5000 Life Points, since that is Diabound's current Attack Power!" shouted Ryou triumphantly. The ball of plasma crackled into the vortex and disappeared. Ryou's Life Points shot up to 12200. 

Gareki studied both sides of the field and scrutinized Ryou's hand, before ending his turn.

When Ryou drew he heaved a sigh of relief. Something to hold the monster down. 

"I'll activate **Swords of Revealing Light**! Diabound can't attack for three turns now!"

Gareki threw back his head and laughed.

"Fool! I worry not about your measly wall. It will fade in time."

As Gareki ended his turn Ryou heard his Yami start to whisper to him.

Ryou, let me help. I've ruled this monster before, I know its weaknesses. Just let me take over until the end of the duel. After all, that is a great treasure out there. I want it.

****

_I don't know. I'm not sure I can trust you._

In Ryou's soul room Yami Bakura paused and rubbed his chin. The mental projection of Ryou looked perplexed.

I know. I'll make a Shadow Oath. Not to attempt to maim, permanently or temporarily debilitate, or kill while in your body without your permission. If you agree and I break it a Game Penalty will be inflicted upon me. A particularly nasty one.

****

****_Alright then, I agree to your Shadow Oath. I'll give you control of my body, but only until the end of the duel. We'll discuss this later._

The Millennium Ring glowed brightly and Ryou's features twisted and became sharper. He tossed his head back as the spirit's soul flowed through the body to replace his own. When he snapped his head back, Yami Bakura was in full control.

Bakura smirked and slid the top card of his deck into his hand. As he looked at it he analyzed his own side of the field and his hand. He had **Spring of Rebirth, Big Bang Shoot, and Swords of Revealing Light **on the field, and **Inaba White Rabbit, Great Long Nose, Hellish Flame Fist, Shadow Utensil, Reckless Greed **and **Spiritualism** in his hand.

"I'll activate **Spiritualism** to return **Big Bang Shoot **to my hand until I am ready to deploy it again. I shall set two cards and that shall end my turn."

The glowing brown cards (**Reckless Greed/Shadow Utensil**) appeared facedown and Bakura leered at Gareki. He swung his fist out towards Gareki and slowly unfurled his palm to reveal his Left Arm of Exodia and Right Leg of Exodia tournament card. Gareki looked bewildered as to how they could have fit inside Bakura's palm without becoming damaged. Bakura's leer only grew wider.

"You don't understand. Such a simple trick; yet still you do not comprehend. You do not think outside of the box. All you see is that there are two perfect cards where none could possibly be. It is the same with your beast. You utilize it only for power. Never do you try to comprehend its true potential. Never do you bother to learn about it. To utilize anything to great effect, you must first know and understand it. Find out its nuances, idiosyncrasies, talents, potential and history. I believe you know nothing of what I have mentioned of Diabound," stated Bakura coldly.

Gareki smiled slightly.

"Are you saying you bother to learn about the _history _of the things depicted in your cards? How, in any way, shape, or form, can that assist you in battle? And how it is possible for a card to have habits?" asked Gareki, in an attempt to make Bakura look foolish.

"In answer to your first question, I do actually. Since most of the cards I use are of occult themes, and I am already well versed in the occult, I have to do little research, but I am very thorough. In fact, I even know all about that card you have. Let me tell you about it."

Bakura's eyes became deep and reflective as he sank into his thoughts. His voice, when he spoke, was harder than before, but not really focused.

"Back in Ancient Egypt a game was played using beasts from the shadows. They were locked in stone tablets, and could be summoned to assist at whim, if you were strong enough. But each person had his or her own unique monster. Their Ka, one half of their soul, which could be manipulated by that person almost exclusively, unless it too was sealed in a tablet.

"During this time many tried to survive on stolen goods, treasure from temples and tombs. Among these was a man who called himself the Thief King. He was a master at his trade, although to him it was more than that, it was a craft. An art form, even. Never caught, except once. The man who tried to stop him perished. 

"At some point, he decided to confront the pharaoh and his high priests and priestesses. He boldly strolled into the palace carrying the mummy of the pharaoh's entombed father, whose temple he had just plundered. Not wanting him to reach the pharaoh, the priests moved out to stop him. They attempted to seal the Ka of the Thief King into a tablet with powerful magic, but it burst free and revealed itself. It was Diabound.

"One of the priests tried to stop Diabound, but it had a unique ability to destroy tablets, thus also defeating the Ka that resided within it. Eventually all six priests had to join in. All were defeated. When the Thief King faced the Pharaoh however, he was defeated, but managed to escape, using another of Diabound's abilities to pass through walls.

"One of the priests decided to lay a trap for the Thief King and sealed him in a tomb to fight it out, without worry of injury to others. He was obliterated. Later, the Pharaoh confronted the Thief King in a temple. The Pharaoh had a powerful sorcerer as his Ka, which today is known as the Dark Magician. He almost defeated the Thief King using it, until Diabound's third ability was revealed. It swamped the room in darkness, making it invisible and impossible to hit. Even where there was light it was invisible. It began to overwhelm the Pharaoh, until his priests came to help. Then the tables were turned on the Thief King and Diabound once again.

 "The Pharaoh was just about to destroy Diabound when it used another of its abilities. The Dark Spirit Shield protected it using the malevolent spirits of 99 slaughtered criminals. The Pharaoh called upon a being of great light to illuminate and unmask the beast, and they fought ferociously. 

"The Pharaoh called upon a god who manipulated thunder and used it to weaken Diabound. It was then that Diabound revealed its last and possibly greatest ability. It could absorb the techniques of other Ka beasts. It used the god's own Thunder Force against it and destroyed it. Diabound was strong enough to slay a god. After that, the Pharaoh called upon the greatest god in Egyptian religion, Ra, and slew Diabound. Nobody knows what happened to the thief."

Bakura snickered slightly as he wrapped up his history lesson. Gareki looked stunned at his knowledge of the formidable beast.

"Now, getting back to the trick which started all this, I am willing to offer you _both_of my cards if you can defeat me, such is my confidence in this deck, poor as it is. In return, if I am to win, you are to revoke the title of number one Spirit Duelist in the world and award it to me," offered Bakura in a dangerous tone of voice.

"With Diabound pumped up and able to negate any abilities which target him, I have nothing to worry about," stated Gareki calmly. Bakura's eyes glinted and he grinned slightly.  "I agree to your terms," granted Gareki. "Now it is my turn."

Gareki obtained another card from his deck and looked at it for a moment, before his eyes flicked over to the field. He had **Channel of Soul** on the field, along with a facedown **Shadow Utensil **and **Power Balance**. Gareki placed a monster card onto his DuelDisk.

"I shall summon my **Dark Spirit Kuu Yami** (1000/1500) in Attack mode and play **De-Spell**! That will destroy your **Swords of Revealing Light**, then my beasts will attack! **Diabound**, attack the **Typhoon Spirit** so **Dark Spirit Kuu Yami** can attack directly!" commanded Gareki.

The swords holding Diabound down faded away and a black mist swirled together to form a misty, not-quite-clear humanoid shape. Free of his radiant bindings, Diabound hurdled towards the little cloud puff that was the **Typhoon Spirit** and diced it. Diabound's ATK rose to 4800. The humanoid shape swirled around and poured forwards into Bakura's lungs. It felt like smoke and Bakura began to cough and sputter until the attack receded. Then he looked up and wiped his eyes, before smirking evilly.

"You've used up all the cards in your hand. That means you cannot use Diabound's Invisibility ability." Bakura smiled toothily and looked like a tiger about to pounce.

Gareki shook his head and drew a card from his deck. Bakura looked surprised at this.

"If **Dark Spirit Kuu Yami** does Life Point damage I can draw a card," he informed Bakura.

**Gareki**: 9000 LP **Ryou/Bakura**: 11200 LP

Before Bakura drew his card his Trap card, **Reckless Greed**, flipped up and a broken Pot of Greed appeared on the field. Two holographic cards fell out. Bakura grabbed two cards as he explained.

"**Reckless Greed **lets me draw 2 cards, but I skip my next two Draw Phases. So I didn't draw for this turn, and I can't next turn either." As Bakura looked at the two cards he made a quick mental analysis of Ryou's deck.

One thing I can say, this deck has a lot of draw power. It would make a good Exodia deck.

 "I shall now play **Graceful Charity** to draw 3 more cards. And after discarding 2 cards I will activate **Rewards of Heaven and Hell**. It forces us each to roll two dice and draw a number of cards equal to the number we roll. I then pay Life Points equal to half the number you drew times a thousand." 

_Are you sure about this? It could just give him a big advantage.****_

****

Shut up and watch.

A powerful demon appeared above Bakura and threw his dice. They totaled up to five, so he slipped the top 5 cards off his deck.

A great angel appeared above Gareki and tossed his dice. They rolled around for a bit and finished on twelve. Gareki chortled happily as he drew a dozen cards and Bakura's Life Points dropped to 5200. Bakura began to snicker also. 

"Hah! According to my calculations, you have only three cards left in your deck, plus most of those cards you have will be discarded after my turn," taunted Bakura cruelly. Gareki stared at his deck in shock.

"Ah! It's true. I have only three turns to defeat you. But it shall be adequate."

Bakura looked through his hand, which now consisted of ten cards. He looked at his hand and grinned. 

"I'll play **Séance**, which lets me Normal Summon 1 Spirit from my deck. So I'll summon **Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi** in Attack Mode (2800/2900) and destroy your **Dark Spirit Kuu Yami**. You lose 1800 Life Points, plus you must discard your hand during your next turn." Bakura watched contentedly as Gareki's Life Points fell to 7200. 

Gareki looked at his hand. He had good cards he didn't want to lose. But there was 1 card still in his deck which would be handy. He just hoped it was the next.

"I shall also play **Pyro Clock of Destiny**, so you go through to the next turn, forcing you to discard your hand, and back to mine," declared Bakura as Gareki threw his hand away in disgust.

Bakura then slipped two cards from his hand and revealed them to the entire crowd. 

"I'll play **Stolen Spirit** and **Exorcism**. **Stolen Spirit **lets me wipe out one of your magic or trap cards if I have a Spirit on the field, which I do. I'll use it to destroy your **Shadow Utensil **so you cannot recover **Diabound **after I destroy him. Then **Exorcism **destroys all Spirits on the field. Since you have no cards in your hand, you may not activate _Invisibility_. Therefore, **Diabound **is destroyed." Bakura crossed his arms and shot a smug look at Gareki.

Gareki watched **Exorcism **destroy the **Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi **and move on to **Diabound**. Then he slapped his hand down on his card. **Diabound **jumped into the air and dove straight through the ground. Bakura cried out in surprise and fury.

"What the hell just happened? You have no cards to activate _Invisibility_!" shouted Bakura.

Gareki nodded in agreement, as he placed **Diabound **into his hand.

"It's true, I couldn't. I used the ability he gained after destroying the **Typhoon Spirit**. It's _Phasing_, the ability to go through walls. If **Diabound** is to be destroyed I can pay half my Life Points to return him to my hand."

Bakura swore and looked through his hand. He snapped it closed and motioned Gareki to make his move.

Gareki drew his card and smiled. Just the one.

"I'll play **Pot of Greed** to draw my last two cards. Now I will set one of them and activate the other, **Spiritual Enlightenment**. If I only have one card in my hand and it is a Spirit I can summon it free of Tribute, so now **Diabound **reemerges, still with 2400 ATK." 

**Diabound**'s tablet appeared and shattered as it burst free. The vicious being roared and raked its claws through the air.

"Now I will activate **Rapid Regeneration**. It shuffles my Graveyard back into my deck, so I now have thirty-seven cards in my deck. No fear of deck-out anymore. Finally, I activate **Power Balance**! Since I have no cards in my hand, you must discard three, and I am allowed to draw three of my own. I'll play **Frenzied Dust Spirit** (0/0), which can be summoned on the same turn as another monster. It randomly destroys one magic card on the field and disappears. I aim to destroy your facedown card." Gareki looked confident as he turned the tide of the battle.

The little dust devil tore forward and mixed with the **Spring of Rebirth**, turning the water muddy, before drying it up completely. Gareki didn't seem perturbed.

"Fine. I shall activate another of **Diabound**'s abilities, _Dark Parody_. As you pointed out, one of Diabound's most handy abilities are those of its opponents. Diabound has absorbed the hand-discarding effect of **Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi**, and when I attack you it'll activate and destroy your hand," mocked Gareki.

Diabound lunged towards Bakura, but Bakura was too fast. 

"I activate **Shadow Utensil **to summon **Gareki Kana** (400/300) in Defense Mode!" called Bakura straight away. 

Diabound tore through the poor little silvery fish that had appeared and roared as it gained another 100 ATK. As it did smoky, depraved green spirits of howling faces began to circle around it.

"After slaughtering three monsters Diabound can call upon the dark spirits to protect him, an ability known as _Dark Aura Shield_. The Dark Spirits have a combined ATK and DEF power of 3000 each and Diabound can't be touched as long as it exists. I have to say, your history of Diabound seems to be spot on. You've named pretty much all of the effects the card possesses." Gareki looked confident of his monster's abilities and the fact that he was going to win.

"To end my turn I will activate my DeckMaster's effect, so it now has 1000 ATK left, so Diabound will remain on the field."

**Gareki: **3600 Life Points **Ryou/Bakura: **5200 Life Points

Bakura looked at his hand. He had three cards. He couldn't draw this turn either, due to the downside of **Reckless Greed**, but he had everything he needed right in his hand. He threw his hand out towards Gareki and, in a deep and imposing voice, bellowed his declaration of victory.

"Gareki! This match is mine! Now I will show you just how knowing a card helps. I said before that Diabound was the Ka of the Thief King. What I didn't mention was that Diabound was completely loyal to his master and would not betray him. Now, let me tell you something. I am the Thief King's descendant, it is my beast and I will command it!"

Gareki scoffed at Bakura's announcement.

"Is that so? Well, go on then, tell it to obey you. It won't, you know."

Bakura snorted. 

"First I must prepare accordingly. Two cards facedown and then…** Hand Disruption**! We both discard our entire hand! Next, I shall activate **Hellish Flame Fist **to power **Diabound **up to 2700! Finally, to gain control of it. All I have to do is prove I am its master by revealing the Thief King's greatest treasure. Behold, the **Millennium Ring**!" roared Bakura mightily.

Bakura's ring glowed brightly as the card flipped up to reveal the Duel Monsters version of it. Bakura's hair rippled with energy as the light flowed through him. He felt exhilarated. He hadn't felt this powerful in months! When he next spoke, his voice held a quality that made one feel overwhelmed with awe.

"My **Millennium Ring** is the greatest treasure the Thief King owned. Now, watch as **Diabound** proves his loyalty!"

**Diabound** began to struggle as the ring manifested around its neck. With a howl of fury **Diabound **bounded towards Bakura and spun around to face Gareki.

"No! My greatest monster! How could you?!" despaired Gareki.

Bakura gazed down at Gareki over crossed arms, the faintest hint of a smirk crossing his features.

"The **Millennium Ring **increases his ATK by 500, up to 3200. Now, if I attacked, you would have 400 Life Points left. So I activate _Dark Parody_! As you know, Diabound can imitate abilities. So I will imitate the effect of **Gareki Kana**, whom I revived just so **Diabound** could steal its ability." 

Bakura pulled the **Gareki Kana **monster card out of his Graveyard and tossed it to Gareki to read.

"**Gareki Kana **can have its ATK increased by 500 by paying 1000 Life Points. **Diabound **has absorbed that ability, so I can pay 5000 Life Points to power **Diabound **up to an unstoppable 5700 Attack Power! **Diabound**, finish this for your real master!" cackled Bakura.

Diabound swung his clawed hand through Gareki and faded away as Gareki collapsed to the ground, his Life Points reduced to zero.

***

Ryou slid Gareki's rarest card, Diabound, into his deck. He wasn't too thrilled about it, but there was no denying it was a good card.

He looked around for a moment and walked away, Bakura's non-existent form following him, arms crossed in defiant victory. As Ryou walked his phone rang. He fumbled around for it and finally got it open. 

"Hello?"

-----------

SPIRIT MASTER GAREKI'S SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT DECK

YAMATA DRAGON

HINO – KAGU - TSUCHI 

DIABOUND 

GREAT LONG NOSE

MAHARAGI

MAHARAGI

SUSA SOLDIER

ASURA PRIEST

ASURA PRIEST

ASURA PRIEST

FUSHI NO TORI

FUSHI NO TORI

**DARK SPIRIT KUU YAMI **

**DARK SPIRIT KUU YAMI**

**DARK SPIRIT KUU YAMI**

MOON DIVINER

MATTER CONVERSION MACHINE 

OTOHIME 

YATA GARASU 

INABA WHITE RABBIT 

**FRENZIED DUST SPIRIT**

**FRENZIED DUST SPIRIT**

**NEMU EH**

**HELLISH FLAME FIST**

SPIRIT FIXATION EQUIPMENT

AFTERLIFE 

SEBAK'S BLESSING 

**MATTER TRANSFERAL**

**AWAKENING OF SPIRIT**

**MYSTICAL COSMOS TYPHOON**

PROHIBITION

GRACEFUL CHARITY

**SPIRIT REDEMPTION**

**CHANNEL OF SOUL**

DE-SPELL

POT OF GREED

**SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT**

**RAPID REGENERATION**

SPIRIT'S INVITATION

SHADOW UTENSIL 

**REBIRTH OF SPIRITS**

**FOUNTAIN OF ILLUSIONS**

**POWER BALANCE**


	12. Momentary Lapse Rivalry

***** Tournament of the Millennium! *****

Chapter 12: Momentary Lapse – Rivalry 

"Uh huh. Yeah. Uh huh, no, pretty good. Yeah, _him_. Alright, see you later," Ryou snapped his mobile phone shut and glanced at Bakura, who was trotting next to him, waving his non-corporeal hand through people and smirking as they shivered and looked around.

"Could you please stop that?" he sighed in exasperation. Bakura grunted and swung around to face Ryou, his deep brown eyes glinting slightly.

"_I wouldn't have to do this for amusement if you'd let me have control of the body for a small period of time. What was that call about, anyway?" _snapped Bakura moodily.

Ryou paused slightly as he shoved his phone into his pocket.

"Yugi called. Apparently Yami is in a mood and doesn't feel like dueling any more today, so Yugi called Joey to tell him that he'd be at the hotel if anyone was looking for him. It appears that Joey has had a victory and he's going back to the hotel as well. So I thought we could go back."

Bakura just snorted and bowed sardonically. 

"_Lead the way, master."_ Bakura's voice was laced with sarcasm, causing Ryou to shift uncomfortably in his shoes.

"Umm… alright." Ryou swung around and began to walk hurriedly back to the hotel.

Bakura grinned wickedly. He'd forgotten how fun it was to taunt Ryou! 

***

Yugi looked around the lounge room of the hotel. It seemed like a good enough place to meet the others. He'd lost Tea and his Grandpa somewhere in the park when Yami had left in a rage, and Tea wasn't responding to his calls. So he'd just left a message on the phone for her when she checked. He checked the couches and counted the people he thought were coming. Joey, Ryou, Tristan, Tea, Grandpa, and maybe even Mai, if she wasn't tied up with a duel. He thought that they would all just about fit. He'd even dragged a coffee table in between them, in case anyone wanted to try and snap Yami out of his mood with a duel.

A crash and a yelp was heard behind Yugi and he whirled around, only to find Joey entangled with a young hotel waitress. Scattered all around them were baked delicacies that had fallen onto the floor when Joey had tripped, grabbed the waitress and taken both of them flying into the snacks table. As he desperately tried to untangle himself, while also trying to remove the table from on top of their legs, a shriek of indignation echoed through the lounge room.

"Joseph Wheeler! Get your prying mitts off that girl right now! You dirty pervert!" 

Mai stood dominatingly over Joey, her hands on her hips, eyes darkened. Joey quickly shoved the table off his legs and apologized to the waitress. Then he turned around to Mai. 

"Geez! Anyone would think I did that deliberately, just to get a feel!" cried Joey with ire.

"Well, it looked pretty suss to me, pal," came a drawl from the doorway. Joey spun around to see Tristan looking smugly at him.

"Ah man! What is this? Why're you all accusin' me of stuff?" shouted Joey in frustration. Tristan walked up and clapped him on the back.

"Cool it, we're only joking. Man, you're so uptight," muttered Tristan as he ambled over to Yugi and collapsed in a chair.

Joey shook off his embarrassment and plonked himself down next to Yugi and began to describe his duel in detail. Over the next few minutes Ryou sauntered in and finally, Tea and Grandpa, looking slightly puffed, but beaming happily.

Joey wrapped up his tale of his exploits and looked at the rest of them.

"So, I got 2 pieces. How about you three?" he asked casually, indicating Yugi, Ryou and Mai. Ryou held up his three pieces of Exodia, along with Diabound and Kiara the Death-Bringing Damsel. Mai smirked and reached into her jacket, pulling a complete set of Exodia pieces from it with a flourish. Joey's jaw dropped open and his glass thumped on the carpeted floor as he dropped it, completely gob smacked.

"You already have a complete set?! Amazing Mai! It's only 4:30, and you're already qualified for the next round!" stated Yugi, impressed. 

"Yeah well, most of the duelists in this tournament are chumps. What can I say?" declared Mai in a slightly modest fashion.

Once the group's shock at Mai's success had subsided, they turned to Yugi. He pulled his lone piece from his pocket and sighed as he dropped it on the table. Joey was, for the second time in two minutes, speechless. Mai was little better.

"You, you only have one piece Yugi?! What are you doing? And why are we wasting time chatting here if you only one piece? You should be out there!" she declared vehemently as she thrust her finger towards the wall-to-wall plate glass window, which showed the busy street outside.

Yugi looked sadly at his Millennium Puzzle.

"Yami's in a mood. He doesn't accept being defeated very easily." Yugi whispered.

Joey finally recovered his voice as Yugi pointed out why he wasn't dueling and interrupted loudly.

"Wha! You lost? To who? Who could beat you, Yuge?!" admonished Joey. Yugi looked at him in surprise.

"Kaiba. Who else?" pointed out Yugi bluntly. As he said this, he was distracted by a dark, malevolent laugh from behind him. He and Ryou whipped their heads around, and Yami popped out of the Millennium Puzzle, to find Bakura in gales of evil laughter. Yami swore in Egyptian.

"_Bakura! What's he doing here?!" _asked Yami in shock. Ryou looked embarrassed. 

"I let him out. I feel that he's changed," announced Ryou shortly. Joey, Mai, Tristan, Tea and Grandpa looked at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, hold up. What the hell's going on here?" demanded Joey in bewilderment. Yugi turned to him and pointed at Ryou.

"Ryou's Yami is back. He's laughing at Yami."

As Joey, Tristan, Grandpa and Tea all looked stunned and Mai just looked mystified, Yugi turned back to the predicament at hand. He looked carefully at Bakura and turned to Ryou.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" asked Yugi slowly, watching Bakura and Yami bicker at the corner of his eye.

"Pretty sure. He seems different. I think he's been stripped of some of his darkness."

They watched curiously as Yami and Bakura engaged in an intense argument. It ended with Yami tossing his head back and stalking over to Yugi's seat, before assuming a royal position and glaring at Bakura darkly. Bakura winked out of existence in his spiritual form and Ryou felt a slight jolt as his body was relinquished to his alter ego. 

"Show yourself, Yami. Or are you too cowardly to face me physically?" sneered Bakura. The rest of the group fell quiet as Yugi renounced his body to Yami. Yami stepped up to Bakura and stared him in the eye. 

"Don't insinuate my cowardice without first observing your own habits, tomb robber." Yami asserted coldly. As he watched Bakura carefully, Bakura's eye twitched and he roared at Yami indignantly. 

"Just because you're sore about losing, you think you can take it out on me because you _used to be_ a pharaoh. And I put emphasis on the phrase _used to be**. **_Don't try and belittle me without first observing your own faults." 

Yami pulled out his deck furiously. 

"Let's settle this! I challenge you to a duel!" commanded Yami. Bakura raised one eyebrow.

"Three points, _pharaoh_. One, I have no need to prove myself. Two, I would beat you in a heartbeat and three, Ryou has long since dismantled my deck. So I don't accept," finished Bakura in a superior tone of voice, which made Yami's blood boil. Yami drew his face so close to Bakura that he could feel the warmth of the filthy tomb robber's breath and uttered his challenge to Bakura with a voice that would have frozen a polar bear.

"Then get it together. You have half an hour." He pushed Bakura back and watched him retreat with a stare of loathing. Joey decided to break the ice.

"Whoa. Isn't half an hour a bit harsh, Yami? Give him a chance!"

Yami simply crossed his arms and watched Bakura go up the stairs smugly. 

"Let's see what he can do."

***

Half an hour later Yami walked up to Ryou's room and banged angrily on the door.

"Half an hour is up, cretin! You'll get no more time out of me!" bellowed Yami. He hammered on the door again for good measure. As he pulled his fist away, the door swung outwards and connected firmly with his face. As Yami tumbled backwards, clutching his bloodied nose, he overbalanced and toppled down the stairs, groaning and grunting as he did so. Bakura watched in great glee as Yami disappeared out of sight as he rapidly descended the staircase in a most unusual fashion. He shook his head and followed Yami down. 

Down the bottom, Bakura found Yami preening his hair carefully and fastidiously realigning the various chains and buckles of his outfit. Bakura shoved past and offhandedly stalked out into the lounge room. Yami followed in a presumptuous manner.

In the lounge, room the atmosphere crackled with rivalry and dominance. Bakura and Yami eyed each other carefully as they adjusted their DuelDisks. Yami slotted his deck into his DuelDisk, but Bakura swung his arm out before Yami activated it. Yami looked at him curiously.

"Wait. I want to challenge you to a Duel with a 100% Damage Setting. It's an extreme variant of the game that spices up every aspect of the game. Only the most hardcore of duelists can stand such a level of competition." He narrowed his eyes and sneered as he flicked his dial to the maximum setting.

Yami simply smirked and spun his dial up to full. Then he looked around. The lounge room wasn't that big. 

"Let's move into the ballroom. We need more space for a battle like this." Bakura nodded in mute agreement and headed off in the general direction of the ballroom.

As Yami left the room, the rest of the gang followed, discussing the upcoming event. 

"Yuge's gonna win for sure. There's no way Bakura can beat him, especially since he had only half an hour to build his deck." Joey expressed his opinion firmly. Tristan and Mai nodded in mutual concurrence. Tea and Grandpa weren't so sure though. 

"I don't know. Bakura had a few tricks up his sleeves last time those two dueled. I think Yugi was just lucky last time. And there's not so much riding on this duel, just pride." voiced Tea nervously. Grandpa nodded wisely.

At the entrance to the ballroom, a small group of spectators had gathered, anxious to see two of the best duelists around go at it neck and neck.

Yami stepped onto the dance floor, and Bakura took his position opposite Yami, about ten metres away.

As the DuelDisks activated the holographic generators were ejected and flew to their four corners of the field. They glowed slightly and the field area turned glossy silver, before returning to normal. The duelists drew their five cards and Bakura drew an additional one to signify the beginning of his turn.

"For simplicity's sake, I thought we'd pass on the DeckMaster rule. I find it tiresome. As for my turn, I shall simply play **Vengeful Bog Spirit**. It prevents any monster from attacking the turn it is summoned. So I'm safe for a turn." The field turned into a viscous black mud, with swirling white mists floating above its surface.

Yami looked at his own hand and slipped one card from it. 

"I shall play **Sanctuary **to draw 1 new card. It also allows you to draw a card to replenish your own hand," Yami stated flatly. As he drew his card, he smiled slightly.

"I just drew **Watapon**. Its effect allows me to Special Summon it to the field if I draw it outside of my Draw Phase, which I did." 

The pinkish cloud appeared, mingling slightly with the natural mist of the bog. Bakura's eyes gleamed slightly.

"Pathetic. It has only 300 ATK. What a useless card," muttered Bakura degradingly.

Yami smirked as he looked at the cards in his hand. He then pulled a monster from it.

"It may be weak, but since it was Special Summoned I can now tribute it to summon **Berfomet **in Attack Mode (1400/1800)! And when it is summoned I can search my deck for a **Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts** (1500/1200) to put in my hand," Yami calmly affirmed as he pulled it from his deck. He placed the card on top of Berfomet.

"I can now activate **Polymerization **to combine my **Berfomet **with the **Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts** I just acquired to create **Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast** (2100/1800)!" declared Yami triumphantly. The beast flapped its long, pure white wings and roared fiercely. Bakura looked at it with slight concern, but then relaxed slightly.

"It still can't attack during this turn, because of my **Vengeful Bog Spirit**. So I have a turn to counter it." At this comment, Yami chuckled coldly, causing Bakura to look extremely affronted.

"I'm not worried by your swamp. It may be filth like you, but my monsters, like myself, rise above the filth and eliminate it! I'll play **Quick Attack** to allow Chimera to attack you directly! Go Chimera!" commanded Yami threateningly.

The great beast flapped its wings, pulled itself out of the mud and charged towards Bakura. Its horned head passed through Bakura's body and he screamed in agony at the feeling of rent flesh. He clasped his hands around his stomach as the pain ignited each and every nerve in his body. Yami simply watched coldly over Bakura's writhing agony. Bakura dragged himself into a standing position and, despite his pain, managed to laugh slightly. 

"Nice move Pharaoh. I was expecting a pushover of a battle, but it seems you have some talent. It won't be enough though. I shall prevail in this battle."

As Bakura extracted a card from his deck he grinned, his eyes still slightly watery, but sadistic nonetheless. He slipped another card into his DuelDisk.

"Well done Pharaoh. You passed the first test. Now, let's kick it up a notch or two." 

A dark being with a blackboard appeared in the swamp and carefully brushed some mud off the cuffs of his jacket.

"I'm activating the magic of **Dark Designator**. It allows me to name a card in your deck and since Yugi dueled Ryou only this morning, I have a good idea of the cards in your deck," Bakura's face became cloudy as he contemplated what card to choose, "so I shall name **Master of Fusion **as the card to put into your hand." Bakura grinned as Yami put the card into his hand.

"Excellent. Now then, I will activate **Power of Fusion**! This Spell Card strengthens any Fusion Monster with 1500 or less ATK by 1000! And I will summon **Spirit Reaper **in Defense Mode (300/200). Next, I shall play my **Aegis Curse**! By discarding a card from my hand," Bakura carelessly pushed a card into his graveyard and sneered, "I can reduce Chimera's ATK and DEF by 500, down to 1600!"

Chimera became surrounded by a throbbing pink bubble, which tightened around it, until the bubble burst, leaving Chimera dazed and weakened.

"I shall set one of my two remaining cards and then activate **Exchange**! It lets me take any card from your hand and, since I have no cards left in my hand, there is no drawback for me. So let's see your hand." He motioned eagerly for Yami's hand. Yami angrily stomped over and handed it to him. Bakura deliberated over which card to take. 

'_Hmm, Backup Soldier, Magical Hats and, of course, Master of Fusion_.'

Bakura took the **Master of Fusion **card and placed it in his own hand. Yami walked back to his side of the field and waited for Bakura to make his move. Bakura looked at him and grinned.

"Since I have only one monster on the field and none in my hand, I cannot possibly fuse anything, so I shall end my turn."

Yami drew his card and looked at it. He then smirked at Bakura icily.

"You mocked the weakness of my **Watapon**, and yet your **Spirit Reaper **is weaker than it. This leads me to believe that that facedown card is a trap, which you wish me to fall prey to. Therefore, I shall play **Sealed Box of Gold**! This locks your card in my magical chest and prevents you from using it!" called Yami boldly. 

An intricately crafted chamber, decorated with many paints and carvings appeared and Bakura's facedown card was pulled into it. The lid snapped shut and the box glowed slightly, before returning to its normal state.

"Now I will summon my **Queen's Knight** (1500/1600) in Attack Mode! It can't attack this turn, but it shall be part of my army of monsters which will swamp and overwhelm you." Yami pointed towards the small Grim Reaper. "Now, Chimera, attack the **Spirit Reaper**!"

As the beast lunged at the small wraith, it fluttered out of the way and Chimera's horn simply swept past the ragged edges of the robes the **Spirit Reaper **wore. Yami's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's this? Your Reaper dodged my attack! How is that possible?" Yami demanded an explanation in aggravation. Bakura's smile widened. 

"My **Spirit Reaper **can't be destroyed in Battle, so it is an effective wall against your monsters. Now then, it must be my turn. So I draw and," Bakura's eyes lit up at the card in his hand, "I will activate **Acquisition of the Dead Treasure**. It allows me to pay 2000 Life Points," at this Bakura's Life Points fell to 3900, "in order to draw 3 new cards. So I will."

Bakura slid three cards from his deck and added them to his hand.

"Alright Pharaoh, I'll play **Spiritualism** to return my **Vengeful Bog Spirit** to my hand, allowing my monsters to attack during the turn that they are summoned. And now I'll summon **Goblin Zombie** (1100/1050) in Attack Mode! Secondly, I'll activate **Master of Fusion **to take my own **Polymerization **and add it to my hand. Then I shall set two M/T cards." A ferocious little monster with bone armour all over its rotting body appeared next to two new brown-backed cards. 

"Now, **Goblin Zombie**, attack **Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast**!" commanded Bakura sinisterly. The little goblin charged at the great winged beast but as its sword curved down towards Chimera the mighty beast swung its head under the blade and skewered the zombie. Bakura's Life Points fell to 2900. He grinned slightly as his monster exploded into little pieces.

"Excellent. Now, since **Goblin Zombie **was destroyed it allows me to take a zombie with a defense value of 1200 or less and put it in my hand, so I'll take **Nightmare Horse**!" Bakura searched his deck for the card and placed it in his hand.

"I'll activate **Polymerization** to fuse my **Nightmare Horse **and my **Spirit Reaper** into the terrifying **Reaper on the Nightmare** (800/600)!"

The small spirit leapt up onto a skeletal horse and swung its scythe menacingly. Bakura snickered evilly.

"Since I activated my **Polymerization** during my Battle Phase, my **Reaper on the Nightmare** can still attack during this turn. At the moment its attack and defense are fairly low, but thanks to **Power of Fusion**, that is raised to 1800/1600! So now I could destroy your **Queen's Knight**. Or I could use its special effect."

Yami's eye twitched slightly. That didn't sound promising. Just in front of Bakura, his new beast was surrounded by crackling black energy as its power increased.

"My monster's special ability is that it can attack directly, even if you do have monsters on the field. And if I damage your Life Points then you have to discard a card from your deck. And to compound that, **Power of Fusion** increases my Life Points by 1000 whenever one of my Fusion Monsters does damage to your Life Points," Bakura grinned malevolently, "so that means I will now have 3900 Life Points, while you have 6200 and one less card."

The reaper charged towards Yami's monsters and leapt gracefully over them, bringing its scythe down through Yami. As the DuelDisk created the illusion of tearing flesh and cleaved bone Yami collapsed to his knees, gripping his head in enormous agony. Bakura simply watched and laughed.

As Yami shakily got back up Bakura snidely pointed out that Yami hadn't yet discarded his card. Yami growled in frustration and shoved his **Backup Soldier** into his Graveyard. 

Yami drew his card and smiled slightly. Bakura only had the **Reaper on the Nightmare **protecting his Life Points. Since the **Aegis Curse **had worn off **Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast **was back to its full ATK of 2100. That would be enough to destroy the **Reaper on the Nightmare**, and inflict 300 Life Points of Damage. Then his **Queen's Knight **could attack, leaving Bakura with 2100 Life Points. And Yami had just drawn **De-Fusion**. That meant he could split Chimera up into **Berfomet **and **Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts** and attack for the win. Smirking, Yami set **De-Fusion** onto the field.

"It's time to end this, tomb robber! Now you lose, for after I destroy your reaper with Chimera, nothing can protect your Life Points!"

Bakura watched Yami carefully as Chimera charged forward. Yami was in for a surprise.

The hellish horse leapt upwards and Chimera's horn dragged slightly across its stomach, drawing blood, but the beast was otherwise unharmed. Bakura's Life Points fell to 3600.

Yami's eyes widened slightly, before he realized what had happened.

"So, your **Reaper on the Nightmare** inherited the abilities of your **Spirit Reaper**. Not a bad beast with that **Power of Fusion **in play. So I shall prepare a counter accordingly."

Yami thought about what he was going to do. When Bakura declared his attack next turn Yami would activate **De-Fusion **to negate the attack and Special Summon **Spirit Reaper **and **Nightmare Horse** to Bakura's side of the field. Both the **Spirit Reaper **and the **Nightmare Horse **would appear in attack mode and, since their ATK powers were 300 and 500 respectively, Yami would still be able to inflict heavy damage during his next turn.

Bakura drew his card, smirked, and set it on the field. Then he swept his arm towards Yami as he commanded his reaper to attack.

"Ha! When my reaper attacks you directly, you will have only 4400 Life Points left, while my life points increase to 4600, so I take the lead!" called out Bakura threateningly.

Yami chuckled as the small spirit leapt over Chimera towards him. He held his DuelDisk up and pushed a button on its wing. A beam of light shot towards the reaper, which shattered and disappeared with a howl. Yami smirked and waited for the **Spirit Reaper **and the **Nightmare Horse** to reappear. When they did not, he looked at Bakura with an incredulous face. Bakura had a sullen look on his face.

"So, you tried to activate something. Unfortunately, my **Reaper on the Nightmare** is destroyed the instant it becomes targeted by something. But," Bakura's face brightened as he realized he could use the card he had just set, "I can activate **Monster Reborn** to bring it back from the Graveyard, so it's allowed to attack again. Say goodbye to a good chunk of your Life Points, Pharaoh!" cackled Bakura evilly. 

Yami fell to the ground in agony for a second time as the reaper's blade tore through his stomach. Bakura waited for him to recover, laughing softly all the time.

As Yami got back up Bakura asked unpleasantly, "Have you discarded a card because of its effect yet, Pharaoah? Or are you trying to hoard your treasure for after your death?"

Yami clenched his fist and sent his **Magical Hats **to his Graveyard. He then stared spitefully at Bakura, tapping his foot impatiently. When Bakura didn't move his eys from his face, Yami snapped.

"Are you done, filth?"

Bakura leered at Yami for breaking so easily. 

"Absolutely, Pharaoh. I would have thought that you could tell."

Yami drew his card and studied it. 

_Hmm… Magic Textbooks. Not the most useful of cards, but maybe it will come in handy. I think now would be a good time to activate it._

"I'll activate **Magic Textbooks**! It lets me discard my hand, which is zero, to shuffle my deck and draw a card. If it is a Spell card, I can activate it immediately." Yami shuffled his deck carefully and drew his card. When he stared at it, he smirked.

"Yes! I can activate **Excalibur**! This Equipment Spell card will double the ATK of **Chimera the Mythical Beast **up to forty-two hundred! And now, Chimera will attack your **Reaper on the Nightmare**!"

The magical sword Excalibur appeared and Chimera metamorphosed into a more humanoid figure, standing upright on two legs, with a long silvery mane. It snatched the legendary sword from the air and swept it through the reaper and its steed. Bakura's Life Points dropped to 2200 as the reaper fell back to earth, with one of its fingers severed.

Bakura looked shocked at this sudden turn-around in the Life Point levels. He drew his card desperately. It was Pot of Greed. He played it and took two more cards.

"I have nothing, so I shall have my **Reaper on the Nightmare** attack you directly! Now your Life Points are down to 2600! And luckily, my Life Points increase to 3200."

Yami reached for his Life Deck with some pain and difficulty, then withdrew his hand as he remembered something.

"**Excalibur **is destroyed when I draw a card, but it allows me to skip any Draw Phase, so that means it remains in play. Now, Chimera will attack your reaper for another 2400 Life Points!"

Bakura drew his card and set it on the field with a smirk. Then he ordered the reaper to attack again. 

As the reaper carved through Yami again, he fell to one knee and bit down hard on his fist to prevent himself from collapsing. When he withdrew his fist from his mouth, a thin stream of crimson dribbled down it. Bakura now had 1800 Life Points to his 800.

Yami took his turn and swung his arm out to point at Bakura.

"Now, Chimera, finish him! Legendary Blade Slash!"

Bakura smiled slightly. He activated his Trap card. 

"I'm activating **Collosal Confrontation of Darkness**! By paying 500 Life Points, I can wipe out all of the Spell cards and Trap cards on the field. Then, each player can set up to 5 Spell or Trap cards on the field from their deck, which can be activated this turn!"

Five brown cards appeared on both sides of the field as Chimera, now with 2100 ATK, charged at the **Reaper on the Nightmare**, whose ATK had been reduced to 800. The attack would do 1300 Life Points of damage. Bakura had only 1300 Life Points left.

Bakura swung his hand out towards Yami.

"I'm activating **Curse of Necrofear** to remove my Graveyard from the game, while you gain 2000 Life Points! Now I can activate **Boundary of the Twilight Zone**! As long as I have no Spell cards in my Graveyard, neither of us may attack!"

Yami flipped one of his cards up. 

"I'm activating **Blood-Seal of Magic**! By discarding 5 cards from the top of my deck, I can negate the activation of your **Boundary of the Twilight Zone**. And I will activate **Iron Maiden** to reduce your monster's ATK by 800, and increase my Life Points by 800, up to 3600! However, instead of weakening your monster, due to its own effect, **Reaper on the Nightmare **is destroyed." Chimera continued to charge forward, towards Bakura.

Bakura swept his hand up and slapped a switch on his DuelDisk.

"I activate **Frozen Soul**. Since you have over 2000 Life Points more than me, I can now end your Battle Phase!"

Bakura grabbed his card and laughed. 

"Excellent. I'll activate **Devil's Advocate**, returning all Life Points to how they were at the end of my last turn. So you have 800 Life Points, while I have 1800."

Yami winced as his Life Points dropped rapidly. Bakura still had two cards in his hand and two on the field.

"I'll summon **Dokuroyaiba** (1000/400) and activate my face-down **Secret** **Passage to the Treasury**, which will allow **Dokuroyaiba **to attack directly! Now **Dokuroyaiba**, attack!" roared Bakura ferociously. The small crowd inside the ballroom cheered and booed as the toothed boomerang swung towards Yami. Yami whipped his DuelDisk up to a horizontal position just below his eyes and clicked a button…

… and both DuelDisks shut down. The holographic boomerang faded away just inches in front of Yami's nose. Bakura howled in fury, rage and confusion. Yami also looked bewildered. Bakura stormed up to him in an incensed rage. 

"What the hell did you do, Pharaoh! I should have won that!" yelled Bakura, livid with anger. Yami was about to reply when the room began to fade into darkness, leaving himself and Bakura standing on a pitch-black plain. They were in the Shadow Realm.

"Bakura, what did you do?" whispered Yami from the corner of his mouth. Something about this wasn't right. Bakura jumped slightly, and when he replied, his voice was tinged with worry. 

"I thought you did it. But if you didn't and I didn't then…" Bakura began to speculate when a bright light filled the Shadow Realm and a beautiful woman, with long, flowing raven-black hair appeared. Clasped in her hands were a wire globe of glowing material and a small pendant. Her form flickered and wavered slightly, as if she had either been in the Shadow Realm for a long time, or was new to the whole process.

Yami and Bakura began to run towards her when she glowed and disappeared. As she disappeared, she whispered something, which echoed around the Shadow Realm as clear as crystal.

"Legion is coming. Watch out, Legion is coming…"

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	13. Understanding and Comprehension AKA Pack...

Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but you wouldn't believe the amount of schoolwork I've had recently. Also, it took me a little while to come up with some of the background for this story, which is recounted in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

**Tournament of the Millennium! **

_Chapter 13: Understanding and Comprehension - Packages _

Yami peered into the darkness. The woman, whoever it had been, had completely faded out of sight. He turned to Yami Bakura, who seemed slightly perturbed at the unexpected interruption. As Yami opened his mouth to talk, Bakura cut him off.

"Before you say anything Pharaoh, let's get one thing straight. I won that duel."

Yami's face darkened slightly and he replied icily, "Actually, I was about to activate **Mirror Force**, so your **Dokuroyaiba **would have been slain. Then I could have summoned the **Dark Blade **in my hand and won."

Bakura smirked slightly as he shook his head.

"A good thing I had **Trap Jammer **on the field then, since that would have negated the **Mirror Force**. Face it, you would have lost." Bakura chuckled snidely. Yami simply closed his eyes and laughed gravely.

"I expected some sort of card to stop it, so that's why I had my facedown **Riryoku**, which would have stolen half of **Dokuroyaiba**'s ATK, so I would have been left with 300 Life Points. Then I would have done 800 Damage to you next turn by destroying **Dokuroyaiba**. And then I would finish you by attacking with **Chimera the Mythical Beast**. So I would have won." Yami folded his arms and nodded to himself.

"Not so. I had **Magic Jammer **on the field as well, so **Riryoku **would have been prevented. I won," Bakura declared with a hint of finality in his voice. At this, Yami roared with frustration.

"Damn it, Tomb Robber, don't you think I was prepared for that play? I had **Mirror Reflex Panel **to reuse my **Blood-Sealing Magic**, so you couldn't have stopped **Riryoku. **Then I would win the next turn." Bakura was also getting mad and yelled back at Yami in reply to this.

"Is that so? Well guess what Pharaoh? The card I would have sent to the Graveyard with **Magic Jammer** was a rare card known as **Shield of Dead Souls**. If it's in the Graveyard, I can end 1 Battle Phase by removing it from the game. Then it would have been my turn and who knows what I would have drawn. And since I was winning when the duel was cut short, I OBVIOUSLY WON!" yelled Bakura stubbornly. Just behind him someone coughed nervously.

Yami and Bakura snapped their eyes away from each other and looked around. They were back in the ballroom and from the looks of it, had been for a while. Both of them flushed red slightly and reverted to their spiritual state, so Yugi and Ryou regained control. They looked quickly at each other and then hurried out of the room.

----------------------------------------------------------

Yugi was relaxing in his room when Yami materialized beside him. Yugi didn't make any signal to show that he had realized that Yami was present, but Yami could tell that Yugi knew.

"Yugi. I have something to tell you. The reason the duel was cut short was that somebody pulled us to the Shadow Realm. There was a woman there who mentioned that something by the name of Legion is approaching. I have a bad feeling about this."

Yugi looked at Yami with wide eyes. When he spoke his voice was filled with disbelief.

"No way! Again? Why is it that every tournament I attend somehow has an ulterior and usually evil motive?" grumbled Yugi. Suddenly the phone rang. It's clear ringing cut through the tension of the room like a knife and Yugi stared at it with worry. Slowly, he reached out and picked up the phone…

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Package for you, Mr Moto. No, no idea who it is from. Yes, certainly, I'll be holding it for you when you come down." The clerk hung up the phone and stared at the non-descript brown package, then dropped it into a draw in her desk and turned back to her computer. Her eyebrows creased in confusion. The word processor was open. All of a sudden, the keyboard began to type by itself, words rapidly appearing on the screen.

_Tell Moto that Legion says felicitations and welcome._

The clerk blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her computer was back to normal.

"Um, is anything wrong miss?" asked a quiet voice behind her. The clerk started slightly, then turned around. A ball of red, black and yellow spiky hair was in front of her.

"Oh, not at all Mr Moto. I just drifted off I think. You'll be wanting your package then?"

The girl seemed to say this very quickly, and her hands were shaking as she reached for the package. That hallucination had filled her with dread for some reason. She felt compelled to obey it. Just as Yugi turned to walk away, she placed her hand on his arm. He turned back to her, his eyes questioning.

"Someone told me to say hi to you. No, that's not it. The message was felicitations and welcome from…" she trailed off. Her body felt cold, like there was a cool wind, although it was a very warm day. Yugi tried to prompt her.

"From…?"

The girl took a deep breath and replied as calmly as she could, "Nobody in particular. Just a fan." Yugi looked relieved. He'd felt sure it would be more ominous than that.

"Oh, okay. Well, see you later Claire!" He bounced away, the package firmly in his grip. He headed towards the lounge room.

------------------------------------------------------

"So what's with the package Yuge?" inquired Joey curiously. Yugi looked down at the brown paper-covered object and shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea. Let's open it and find out what it is." Yugi tore the paper away to reveal a thick, musty book with a gold cover. Tea, Tristen and Ryou drew in a quick breath as they saw the ornate Eye of Horus that was embossed into the cover. Yugi ran his fingers over it slowly, lost in thought. Then he clicked his translator and folded the eyepiece over so that he could read the English text.

"_The Myths and Magicks of the Ancient Realm_, by Ashid Khasut," murmured Yugi quietly. He flipped the book open to the contents page and looked at the yellowed page.

"Wow. It sure looks old." Mai bent in closer to see it better. "And it smells old too."

Joey tried to crane his neck so he could see the book better and also get a better view of Mai's cleavage. He was distracted from his observations by one of the sub-headings in the contents, however. He jabbed his finger at it, almost knocking Yugi over in the process.

"Hey, check it out. _The Millennium Items_. Page 37. You should check it out Yuge. I think that whoever sent this to you wanted you to see this part."

Yugi sat down and turned to page 37, then began to read aloud.

"_The Millennium Items were a set of seven items crafted by the Pharaoh Anakudin, father of the legendary Unknown Pharaoh. Each was said to possess dark and powerful magic. The Millennium Items were used to bring about peace within Anakudin's region, but it came at a high cost, for the metal from which the Millennium Items were crafted was formed from the sacrifice of 100 dark souls who were thrown alive into a molten pot of gold and various other base metals."_ Yugi stopped, aghast at how the Millennium Items had come into being. After he calmed down, Yugi continued to read.

"_The seven Items were described as being an Unsolvable Puzzle, the Key to the Soul, the Eye that Sees All, the Scales of Justice, the Staff of the Mind, the Thieves' Ring and the Foreseeing Necklace. Given their descriptions from various sources, it is currently believed that the seven items have the following powers:_

_The Unsolvable Puzzle – Records of this items usage are hazy at best, but it is said to be the key to calling the Gods. It has also been proposed that this item holds the spirit of the Unknown Pharaoh, the last man to have been recorded as it's possessor. This theory is, of course, quite ludicrous and has nothing to support it._

_The Key to the Soul – Supposedly able to see the very form of ones soul and discern whether it is pure or not._

_The Eye that Sees All – This Item is purported to be able to read one's thoughts._

_The Scales of Justice – Another hazy description provides little to theorize about, though it has been put forward that this Item had some way of punishing the guilty._

_The Staff of the Mind – This item has been portrayed in various ways throughout history. Some carvings from the time of Anakudin, about 3214 BC, show it to be a staff about 4 furlongs in length, or about 5 feet. Other carvings from the same date show it to be more like a small rod of about 18 inches. Many revered Egyptologists state that this is a stylized image and that the long staff was more likely to be the real length. Just to add a twist to this mystery, both the Staff and the Rod are generally accepted to be topped with a sphere on which the Eye of Set is adorned, with wings stretching from this sphere. In some carvings in the most sacred ritual temples of the time, there are images of a knife that is also crowned by a winged sphere. No matter what form the actual Staff of the Mind is, it is well documented that the Most High Priest Set, the advisor to the Unknown Pharaoh, used it and that it had the ability to brainwash people._

_The Thieves' Ring – This ring is not recorded to have any type of power whatsoever and general consensus holds that it was merely an item created to hold the bitter souls of the 100 criminals sacrificed to create the metal for these items. Though no powers have been recorded some historians suppose that, being the Ring of Thieves, it had the ability to track down other Millennium Items and disrupt their usage. This idea is, however, completely unfounded and is pure fantasy._

_The Foreseeing Necklace – This item is alleged to have the ability to allow the user to see the future. Whether the viewer can change the future is still a source of debate even now._

_All of the items are believed to be able to draw the user and others around him into a Shadow Game, which was played using black magic. Little is known of this practice"_

Yugi stopped for a breath and looked over the rest of the section. He flicked over the pages, talking as he went.

"It looks pretty detailed, but also vague at the same time. There's about twenty pages or so. I think I'll have a closer look later, but for now…"

Yugi trailed off as he stared at the next section after the Millennium Items. He began to read it in a hushed voice.

"_The Millennia Items were rumored to have been created by Anakudin VI, the great-great-great-great grandson of the Unknown Pharaoh. There is far more information about the Millennia Items available than that of the Millennium Items. It is known that there were only three Millennia Items in existence, but that each had the power of three Millennium Items. They were the Millennia Shield, Sword and Amulet. _

_There is very little information about how the Millennia Items were created, but it is rumored that 10,000 had to be killed in order to create them. But what would have brought about such dire need for these three items of legendary power? _

_The Scrolls of 1000 Years, also known as the Millennia Scrolls, from which most information about the Millennia Items was procured, point to a war between the Egyptians and the Greeks. Most information is believed to have been lost in the Great Fire of the Alexandria Library, but through collation of information from various sources, historians have come to believe that the Greeks had set upon Anakudin VI's region with an army that surpassed one million, an unstoppable titan of an army in ancient times. In his desperation Anakudin VI called upon his priests to craft more powerful variants of the Millennium Items and thus, the Millennia Items were created._

_Anakudin VI donned a suit of armour crafted from the magical metal, which was named Kaaritalc, or roughly translated, Charichalcum. This metal was said to be so dark it absorbed light and was so dense that not even the sharpest blade could penetrate it, yet was so light that it was like wearing thatch-straw cladding. The armour was unusual for that day and age, but it is believed it was crafted not so much for protection but to instill fear in the heart of his foes. Then, taking up the Shield, Sword and Amulet, Anakudin VI created a shield of shadows around his region that trapped the Ka of all who dared touch it, protecting his kingdom._

_Anakudin VI marched out to face the Grecian army at the borders of Saudi Arabia and so it was that he fought the million-man army. The Greeks bombarded him with projectiles from their catapults and ballistae but to no avail. It seems that the Shield could protect him from any attack with a shield of darkness similar to that which shrouded his monarchy. His sword was said to glow in the light of one thousand shadows and with it he cut through legions of the Greeks. They fought for three weeks until the Greeks retreated, half their force annihilated. From the safety of the Mediterranean Sea they sent out a boat with a single boy to confront the great pharaoh._

_The boy, of whom no name has been found, no more than 16 years of age, and armed only with a dagger and the leather straps which bound his hands, opposed Anakudin VI and then the Battle of the Millennia began. Anakudin charged at the boy, and with a great swipe that created thunder and lightning, he brought the sword down upon the boy. But somehow he missed. The boy taunted him and with speed that many times over has been recorded as being bestowed upon him by the gods began to fight Anakudin VI. They fought all day and all night, neither tiring, neither gaining the advantage. Blows that could shatter mountains and empty seas were thrown but never connected. The two continued to battle. They fought for 40 days and 40 nights and on the stroke of the dead hour, Anakudin finally hit the boy. The boy's stomach was torn open and he was left mortally wounded. But as Anakudin began to gloat, the boy called to the gods for assistance and they, being aware of how the world balance would shift if Anakudin were to reign, bestowed him with all the power of Atlas for a final battle. His wound healed and he threw a final punch at Anakudin VI. Caught unaware, Anakudin VI was hit on the chest, and inexorably, the Millennia Amulet cracked. Then the boy collapsed from exhaustion and passed away. _

_With the Millennia Amulet ruined, Anakudin VI was defeated and his wall of shadows faded. Anakudin VI also passed away and a treaty was formulated between the Greeks and the Egyptians, due to mutual fear of the power of the Millennia Items. They were sealed away and have not been seen since. _

_The Millennia Sword was said to represent the physical dimension of the body and was able to cut through anything. It is said to become stronger with the blood of each slain foe._

_The Millennia Shield was said to represent the intellectual dimension of the body and was impenetrable. It is said to be able to drain the power of other magic-users for it's own usage._

_The Millennia Amulet was said to represent the spiritual dimension of the body and was able to manipulate any magic for its owner's use. The Millennia Amulet is said to have become flawed from the crack it suffered and that now it is a prison for those spirits unlucky enough to encounter it. Other sources state that each spirit it takes becomes part of a collective super-consciousness, of many cultures and ages. The Millennia Amulet is believed to have been moved from location to location around the world in order to keep it away from the clutches of evil."_

Yugi snapped the book shut, shivering slightly. Everyone else looked around at each other, slightly unsure and more that a little spooked for no apparent reason. He gathered it into his arms and glanced at the others.

"What do you guys say to some dueling? I'm falling behind…" he tried to say lightly. However, it did little to pierce the somber atmosphere. Slowly, as if coming out of trances, the others shook their heads and stood up, then they all wandered out together to try to get their minds onto lighter subjects.

------------------------------------------------

The young European woman pushed her auburn hair out of her eyes and the crystalloid mist that shrouded the wire globe dissipated, taking with it the image of Yugi reading her package. She smiled slightly. He'd found the right section and seemed to have some realization of what it meant. She stood up and looked over the edge of the building she was on top of and glanced at the laptop she held in her other hand. If Yugi didn't hurry up and qualify for round 2, she'd have to forcibly qualify him. It was vital that he reached the finals. Only then could she safely meet him without fear of retribution from the vengeful Legion. Sighing, she snapped her laptop shut and leapt into the air, disappearing in a shimmer of wind. Meanwhile, down below her, Yugi searched for his next duel.


	14. Not Just a Garden Ornament

** Tournament of the Millennium! **

Chapter 14: Not Just a Garden Ornament – Worshipping False Gods 

Yugi walked into the crowd of people outside the hotel, quickly becoming separated from the rest of the group. The book he'd received in the package weighed heavily on his mind, because he was sure he knew what it meant. It had something to do with the person who'd organized this entire tournament, and Yugi was guessing that whoever it was had sent it to him as a taunt. Proof of his power. And if that guy had one, or even, all of those Millennia Items Yugi had read about then he'd probably be hideously powerful. He shook his head to clear it. He'd come out here to find a duel and get back in the running for this tournament.

As he shoved through the crowd, Yugi got the sense that someone was following him. He abruptly spun around and the small man who'd been following him crashed right into him, knocking them both over. As Yugi pulled himself up, the other man brushed himself off and stood up. Yugi noticed with some astonishment that the man was even shorter than him, that the man wore a red pointed cap, and was very squat. He looked to Yugi just like an oversized garden gnome.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, it's just that I was so eager to meet you because after all, you're the great Yugi Moto, the champion of the world in terms of Duel Monsters and….you don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" the man finished lamely.

Yugi scooped up his translator, which had come off in the crash and connected it back to his ear.

"Pardon?"

The man grabbed Yugi's hand and pumped it warmly.

"My name is Aaron Fowler. I'd like to challenge you to a duel. All or nothing. I already have 4 pieces of Exodia, but I'm missing the head." He beamed proudly at his achievement.

Yugi looked slightly bemused at the man's offer.

"You want to play for all 4 of your pieces? I have the head, but nothing else to offer you. So why would you offer 4 pieces of Exodia?"

Aaron rubbed the back of his head in a nervous manner.

"Well, I really worked hard to finish my deck and if I lose I don't want to lose any of my deck, so I'm offering 4 pieces of Exodia in exhange for not having to follow the ante rule if I lose. And if I win, you'll probably have to hand over a really rare card, so it's only fair."

Yugi transformed with a flash of invisible light and confirmed in a deeper voice that he would accept the duel. People stood aside as the two duelists prepared for the upcoming battle.

Yami picked Dark Magician Girl to be his deckmaster, while Aaron picked a monster he announced as being the Gnomish Battletank of Many Broken Toasters.

Yami drew his five cards and then added a sixth to his hand, since he was the challenged. He looked over his hand and smirked.

"I'll set two cards face-down and play **Obnoxious Celtic Guardian **(1400-1200) in Attack Mode!" called Yami confidently. Two brown-backed cards appeared, along with the elfin warrior, who swung his sword in a wide arc.

Aaron's eyes widened slightly as he drew his sixth card.

"I don't think I have any monsters available to me that can destroy that monster. So I'll play **Gnome's Greed**! This card allows us both to draw 2 cards." Aaron wiggled his eyebrows as he slipped his cards from his deck. When he looked at his cards, Aaron then clapped his hands and whooped with joy. Yami stared at him, bewildered.

"I spoke too soon. Face the **Great Gnomish Conversion Mechanic** (1500-1000)! Now, use Spanner Attack!" called Aaron as his monster leapt forward and crushed the Celtic Guardian's skull. As it died, Yami pressed a button on his DuelDisk.

"Activate **Line of the Soul**! I am allowed to pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon **Green Gadget **(1400-1600) in Defense Mode! And when **Green Gadget **is summoned that allows me to put a **Red Gadget **from my deck into my hand!" shouted Yami as a green cog appeared on his side of the field. His life points fell to 6900 as he drew.

Yami looked at his hand, which had seven cards in it. He pulled two cards from it and lay them on the field.

"I'll set 1 card face down and summon the **Red Gadget **(1300-1500) in Defense Mode! This lets me put the **Yellow Gadget **from my deck into my hand. That will end my turn."

Another cog, similar to the one standing next to it, but this time red, appeared. Aaron raised his eyebrows and drew a card. He then slipped it into his DuelDisk and activated it.

"I shall activate **Solar Power**, which gives all LIGHT-type monsters 200 ATK/DEF, while all DARK-type monsters lose 200 ATK and DEF. Now I'll activate **Gnomish Adrenaline Rush **to raise my **Great Gnomish Conversion Mechanic**'s ATK and DEF by 500 for 1 turn. At the end of the turn you then gain 1000 LP."

The squat mechanic's eyes widened and his stats changed to 2000-1500, then he charged at the green cog. As he did a huge mechanical beast burst from the ground and the mechanic ran into it, then halted his attack. Aaron looked more than a little surprised.

"I activate **Stronghold Fortress**, a Trap that becomes a monster with 2000 DEF. Since you only have 2000 ATK, you can't get past it." Yami smirked as his life points jumped to 7900. "Thank you Aaron. Although your card did little for you, it was of great benefit to me."

Yami drew his card and looked at it, then pulled another card from his hand.

"Now I'll summon **Yellow Gadget **(1200-1200) in Attack Mode and change **Red Gadget**, **Green Gadget **and **Stronghold Fortress **into Attack Mode as well! Because when all 3 of my gadgets are on the field, **Stronghold Fortress**'s ATK becomes 3000!"

The three cogs leapt up and slotted themselves into the previously inert machine. Immediately it began to whir and stood up, then launched a huge mechanical fist at the tiny gnome mechanic. It was immediately crushed and Aaron's Life Points fell to 6500. They were quickly reduced again to 2600 as the three gadgets each flew out of the giant robot in turn and attacked Aaron directly. Aaron gasped in surprise and then laughed as he recovered from the surprise of the attack.

"A good play, Yugi. One of your outstanding caliber. But I'm not particularly worried. I think I'll just set these 3 cards on the field and summon a **Steam-Powered Skateboard of Death **(1000-800) in Defense Mode and end my turn."

Yami snatched a card from his deck and grinned as he looked at it. Then he slipped it onto the field, along with another card.

"You are probably depending on your facedown cards to help you, so that's why I'm activating **Great Wind**! It destroys all of your facedown cards and I can draw 1 card. So say goodbye to your plans and this duel!" commanded Yami as the holographic wind dragged at his jacket. Aaron simply laughed and pressed a button on his dueldisk.

"I'll activate **Simplicity**. This reduces 1 of your cards to 1 effect only, which I choose to be that you may draw 1 card. So my facedown cards are safe." He grinned at having eluded Yami's card.

Yami looked at his hand again and then ordered his **Stronghold Fortress** to attack the shabby skateboard on Aaron's field. Aaron began to chuckle as the attack closed in and flipped 1 of his 2 remaining cards.

"I'll activate **Nuclear Meltdown – Gnomish Style**! If there are at least 5 monsters on the field, they are all destroyed and their total ATK strength is inflicted to both our life points," Aaron explained matter-of-factly.

Yami did some quick calculations in his head and gasped.

"No! That's 7900 Life Points of damage, which means that we draw!"

Aaron shook his head and watched the 5 machines explode.

"Actually no. The maximum we can each lose is 4000, so you still have 3900 Life Points left."

"While you have none! I see no point to this play," Yami objected. Aaron's other card flipped up.

"I'm also going to activate **Explosive Sugar Substitute**! This card gives me 2000 Life Points, leaving me with 600 Life Points after I lose the 4000!" called Aaron calmly. As he did a mushroom cloud appeared above the field and all of the monsters on the field melted into slime. Aaron then smirked and three hideous mutants appeared on his field. Since Yami looked shocked, Aaron sighed and started to explain.

"There is another effect to my nuclear meltdown. After it finishes, I am allowed to summon three **Mutated Duel Monster **cards (700-900) in Attack mode. And now I shall draw." Aaron grabbed his next card and smirked. Then he began to speak again.

"The drawback to **Explosive Sugar Substitute **is that in two turns I must destroy 2 of my monsters on the field. This is my first turn. Now I'll activate **Gnome's Broth of Vigor**! I regain 3000 Life Points at the cost of 5 cards from my deck and my next turn. But because I must skip my next turn, none of my monsters will be destroyed."

Aaron then pointed to his strange mutant monsters on the field and Yami gasped in surprise as their ATK rose to 1100 each.

"Yeah, my **Mutated Duel Monsters **gain 400 ATK each turn. Now, I'll attack you directly, leaving you with 600 Life Points!" shouted Aaron cheerfully.

The three crazy beasts charged at Yami and slapped him with various wrongly-proportioned appendages, before retreating back to Aaron's flanks. Aaron set 1 card and ended his turn.

Yami grimaced as he drew his next card. He had only 600 Life Points left and this card would be vital if he were to survive. He looked at it and a smile broke out onto his face.

"I'll play **Sanctuary **to allow us to draw to six cards in our hands. Then I'll set 2 cards facedown and end my turn. But because of your **Broth of Vigor** I get to draw again, so I draw and I'll now play **Dian Keto the Cure Master**."

A kindly-looking lady appeared and Yami's Life Points briefly rose to 1600, before falling back to 600.

"I then activate **Blood of Brothers**. At the cost of 1000 of my Life Points I can summon 2 monsters from my deck of the same Sub-type. So I will call out **Queen's Knight **(1500-1600) and **King's Knight **(1600-1200). When I have both **King's Knight **and **Queen's Knight **on the field, which in turn allows me to call out the **Jack's Knight** (1900-1200)! And with three monsters on the field I can sacrifice them all for **Slifer the Sky Dragon** (X000-X000). It's attack is based on the number of cards in my hand, so it has 3000 ATK. But if I activate **Pot of Greed**, it goes up to 4000!"

Yami's three knights disappeared in a flash as he held out his greatest monster. The huge red dragon burst onto the field and loomed over the strange monsters on Aaron's field ominously. It released a wave of pure lightning at the first one and struck it, dropping Aaron's Life Points to 1500. However, Yami looked surprised as the freaky monster wasn't destroyed.

"Why is your monster still alive? And why did you only lose 2100 Life Points? You should have lost 2900 Life Points, and yet you still have 1500 Life Points left. Explain."

Aaron smiled slightly.

"Certainly. My **Mutated Duel Monsters **each gain 400 ATK every turn, including your turns. 2 turns have passed so they each gained 800 ATK. And my **Mutated Duel Monsters **also can't be destroyed during their first 3 turns on the field, so it remains for my turn, when they all increase to 2300 ATK."

Aaron drew and snickered slightly as he looked at his card.

"I'll play **God Conversion Facility**! This field magic card costs 1000 Life Points to activate, so I am left with 500 Life Points. Next, I'll play **Incompetent Tomb Thief**. This Spell card lets me activate a Spell from your graveyard, so I'll use your **Dian Keto the Cure Master**! Now that I have 1500 Life Points again, I will activate **Spell to the Fifth Power**!"

Around the two duelists, the field became an industrial work yard, and a glowing portal shimmered in the middle of it.

"This Spell card allows us to each use the Spell cards in our Graveyards, in order from bottom to top, for 5 turns. So that means I must first activate **Gnome's Greed**, so you have six cards in your hand, as do I. Next, I will sacrifice my 3 monsters on the field to summon my own God Card, **Slifer the Hover-Propulsion Dragon**! This card is as powerful as your monster, since it too has Attack and Defense equal to the number of cards in my hand, which is 5."

Yami looked on in shock as a clunky, mechanical version of Slifer appeared on the field with a recorded roar.

"So, a copy of the God Cards that isn't actually a god card. Ingenious. But it doesn't matter, because when you summon a monster, Slifer attacks with **Summon Lightning Impact**, reducing your monster's ATK down to 3000. So it bears no threat to me."

Aaron looked slightly perturbed at what had happened.

"Hmm, your dragon's effect is more powerful than mine. My effect only reduces by 1000. But it doesn't matter. Because now I will activate my next Spell card in my Graveyard, **Gnomish Adrenalin Rush**. This increases my Slifer's ATK up to 3500, but more importantly, allows me to activate my **Explosive Sugar Substitute**. I gain 2000 Life Points, leaving me with 3500 Life Points."

Aaron pulled two other cards from his hand and activated them.

"I'm going to play **Machine Production Fault**. I can remove all Machine-type monsters in both decks from the game. So I must remove several of my cards. Do you have to remove any?" Aaron asked Yami curiously.

Yami grudgingly pulled **Bronze Gadget**, **Silver Gadget, **and **Gold Gadget **from his deck and put them aside.

"Next I'll play **Gnome's Twilight Portal Machine**. It lets me revive any monsters in my removed from game pile, at a cost of 1000 for each monster. Plus, you may call out 2 of your monsters from your removed from game pile."

On Yami's field, the silver and gold cogs appeared next to Slifer and began to jump around energetically. On Aaron's field, a card that looked almost like Ra, save a large solar panel on it's back, and a vicious looking blue boxing robot with huge blue fists appeared.

"I've summoned **Solar-Panel Powered Dragon of Ra **(0-0) and **Mechanical Obelisk** (4000-4000), but because of Slifer's effect, **Mechanical Obelisk **now has 2000 ATK. And my Hover-Propulsion Slifer has only 1500 ATK. Not that it matters."

Aaron flipped his facedown Trap card and a huge black panel appeared, with large cables running to Ra's back.

"I'm activating **Solar Panel**. When **Solar Panel** and **Solar Power** are active I can use Ra's effects other than just how to determine his ATK and DEF. So, I can pay 1000 of my remaining 1500 Life Points to destroy any one of your two facedown cards. And the one I destroy is…that one!" Aaron called, pointing to the left. It flipped up to reveal **Mirror Force**, which shattered after being lifted.

"Now, I'll sacrifice **Slifer the Hover-Propulsion Dragon **and **Solar-Panel Powered Dragon of Ra** to use the Big Hand Crusher effect of **Mechanical Obelisk**! It will destroy all of the monsters on your side of the field, and then **Mechanical Obelisk **will attack to finish this duel!" yelled Aaron in frenzy. As the boxing machine lunged forward, Yami's facedown trap flipped up to reveal…

"**Reduction Barrier**! This reduces the damage I take by 9 tenths, down to 200. That means I have 400 Life Points left and now I begin my turn, gaining 1000 Life Points from **Gnome's Adrenalin Rush**."

Yami drew his card and looked at it. He then studied his hand and smirked. He pulled a card from it and summoned it.

"I'll summon the **Skilled Dark Magician** (1900-1700). This is the card that will finish you for, once 3 Spells have been activated while this is on the field, I can transform it into **Dark Magician **(2500-2100). Since you only have 500 Life Points, when I attack with it, you are finished. I'll start by using your **Spell to the Fifth Power **to activate **Great Wind. **This card will destroy your **God Conversion Facility**, along with allowing me to draw another card."

As Yami's windstorm began to blow, **Mechanical Obelisk **glowed and the wind died down. Yami looked on in shock.

"My **God Conversion Facility**, if any of my gods are on the field, can negate a Spell at the cost of discarding a card from my hand."

"Fine then, I activate **Dian Keto the Cure Master** to gain 1000 Life Points." Yami stated shortly.

"Nope, I negate it," Aaron replied simply. Yami growled and activated his next Spell in his Graveyard.

"Fine then, I use **Pot of Greed**!"

"Uh uh. I discard my third card to negate that as well."

Yami looked at his Graveyard and cursed. The next Spell in it was **Sanctuary**, which would refresh Aaron's hand. Then he glanced back down at his hand and realized that there was another way.

"Fine. I activate **Magical Regeneration **to take back my **Dian Keto **by sending two other Spells from my hand to my Graveyard. And then I will activate that card."

Aaron watched, slightly nervous, as Yami's Life Points rose to 2400. Then Yami pulled another card from his hand and Aaron felt his stomach shrivel. That was it then. The third Spell. And he was unable to stop it. Might as well pack it in.

"Now I'll play my final Spell, **Curse Breaker**! This will destroy your **God Conversion Facility** and allow me to change **Skilled Dark Magician **into **Dark Magician**!"

The young mage became visibly wiser and his armour became sleek and heroic looking. Then he leveled his staff and waited for Yami's order.

"Do it. Win this for me." Yami watched unmoving as the Dark Magician fired a single concentrated blast of black magic at the huge robot. The fake Obelisk was torn apart and Aaron's Life Points fell to 0. The duel was over.

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Yugi smiled appreciatively as Aaron handed over the four pieces of Exodia, muttered something about improving his Gnome deck and walked solemnly away. Then Yugi turned away and began to trot back to the BattleDome, where all of the qualifiers were required to go. He couldn't wait for Round 2!


	15. Power to the Small Guys!

**Tournament of the Millennium! **

_Chapter 15: Soul of a Duelist – Power to the Small Guys! _

Joey sighed contentedly and rubbed his stomach as he downed his fifth hot dog, covered in peanut sauce. Now that he'd had lunch, he was ready to roll. Admittedly, he was still a bit worried about the book Yugi had received about the Millennium Items, but he couldn't do any more than what he did best. And what he did best was duel. And eat. But he'd covered eating, so now it was time to duel.

Joey raced out of the food court into the sunny streets, eager to find someone to duel. Looking around, Joey couldn't see anyone with a DuelDisk or a translator, so he trudged back into the food court, to a noodle stand up on the second-floor balcony. From that vantage point, he'd be able to see any duelists who passed through the food court searching for a meal. He trotted up the escalator, to the noodle stand, and sat down at a table. He tried to focus on watching for duelists, but after 5 minutes began to lose focus. The noodle stand behind him was wafting delicious smells his way. Joey couldn't stand it. After another minute of sitting surrounded by wonderful aromas, Joey groaned and stood up. He had to eat!

Joey slid his chair in and pulled his wallet out. He glanced in at his current monetary status. Two bucks. He studied the menu. He could get some noodles and a sauce to drench them in, but only a snack. Strangely enough, his eyes were drawn to another item on the menu. A Thai stir fry. It sounded so good. And it was $4. He wanted it. Oh, how he wanted it.

He looked up at the board again and then around the small food court. There were two people eating. An old guy and a young woman. She looked about 20, with flowing honey-blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Joey's eyes lit up and he strolled over to her, then leaned casually on her table.

"Hi. How are you?" Joey asked as smoothly as possible.

The woman looked curiously at him, puzzled. Then it clicked in Joey's mind. She didn't speak Japanese. He sighed in defeat. He didn't know any English.

Suddenly the woman's face lit up and she reached into here bag to pull out a KaibaCorp translator earpiece. Joey squeaked in surprise. That meant she was a duelist. And now he didn't have to ask for money.

"Yes, what is it you were saying?" asked the woman innocently. Joey looked around for something to say and spotted her DuelDisk tucked behind her bag.

"I saw your DuelDisk and was hoping I could duel you. I've got three pieces of Exodia, the right arm, right leg and left leg. So I was wondering if you'd accept my challenge for, say, two pieces?" Joey casually offered. The woman pulled out her pieces and looked at them.

"I have three as well, but I have a double of the head. How about I swap the head for your Left Leg, then all I need are the Right Arm and Right Leg?" she proposed the trade.

Joey nodded in accord.

"As long as you put your two Left pieces up for offer, I'll agree to that. Oh, and instead of putting your rarest card up for offer, I was thinking maybe if I won you could bye me lunch… cause I'm broke," Joey finished lamely.

The woman facefaulted, then laughed airily.

"I don't see why not. I don't particularly feel like losing this duel, but sure. My name is Sarah, by the way."

Joey's eyes lit up. He had just what he wanted. Qualification for Round 2 and lunch, all in one neat package.

"Well, nice to meet you Sarah. My name's Joey. So, should we get this started?"

"How about we go downstairs and find a clearer area first?"

--------------

Joey stood at one side of the mall's clear centre, while Sarah stood at the other. Joey started to flick through his deck to try and decide on a DeckMaster.

He stopped at his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Maybe it was time for him to use it. But then again… Joey put the card back and continued looking.

'_Okay. I think I'll go with something a little bit… different. Swordsman of Landstar. Perfect. Okay then, little buddy, you and me now.'_

Joey looked over at Sarah. Behind her was a strange priest with the head of a falcon. Interesting.

Sarah looked at him with determination.

"Let's get this going. Since you challenged me, I get to go first," declared Sarah. She drew her sixth card and smiled. She added it to her hand and pulled another card from it.

"I'll set one monster face-down and end my turn."

Joey glanced at his starting hand and groaned. He had no low-level monsters. But wait, he did have something.

"I'll activate **Dangerous Machine Type-6 **and then play **Added Preparations**. This allows me to simulate a second Standby Phase, so I can activate my **Dangerous Machine Type-6**. It lets me roll a die and an effect activates according to what I roll. So, go, dice roll!" Joey called as a holographic die bounced around and stopped on a 3.

"Yes! Draw 1 card! Excellent," Joey drew his card and placed it on the field.

"Summon **Battle Warrior **(700-1000) in Attack Mode! Attack the face-down card!"

The blue warrior leapt forward and swung one of his powerful fists at the facedown card. It swung up, to reveal a mime that caught the warrior's fist and threw him backwards. Joey's Life Points fell to 7700. Sarah laughed.

"You've attacked **Mimic of Darkness Lv 1 **(100-1000). When flipped, it allows me to draw a card."

Sarah added a card to her hand and then drew her card for her turn.

"Now, during my Standby Phase, I can sacrifice **Mimic of Darkness Lv 1 **in order to level him up to a stronger form, **Mimic of Darkness Lv 3 **(1000-1000)!"

In front of Sarah, the mime grew more muscled and threatening. Joey gulped. His monster had 300 less Attack than that monster.

"Next, I'll set two cards facedown and summon **Mystic Swordsman Lv 2** (900-0) in Attack Mode! And now **Mystic Swordsman Lv 2 **will destroy your pathetic **Battle Warrior**! And my mime will attack directly!"

The swordsman, who looked similar to Link from the Zelda series, Joey thought, except clothed in blue, leapt forward and skewered his warrior. Joey's Life Points fell to 7500 and shortly after the mime punched him in the gut, it fell again, to 6500.

Joey was just about to draw his card when Sarah shook her head.

"Not so fast Joey. First, when **Mystic Swordsman Lv 2 **destroys a monster in Battle he can level up to the powerful **Mystic Swordsman Lv 4 **(1900-1600)!"

The elf-like swordsman grew taller and sleeker, with a long broadsword in hand.

Joey drew his card and glanced at it. He smirked. Definitely useful. But first he had to roll for his machine. He rolled a 6 and the machine exploded. Sarah laughed as Joey looked a little perturbed.

"What's the matter Joey? All broken?" teased Sarah. Joey smirked.

"Not today, cause I've got **The Norseman Berserker** (3000-0)! Summoned in Attack Mode!" A huge, fierce Viking appeared, swinging a deadly battleaxe.

"If I have other monsters on the field there's a chance Norseman Berserker will attack them, but since I have no others on the field, there's nothing to worry about. So, **Norseman Berserker**, attack that pathetic mime!" called Joey.

The Viking charged forward and decapitated the mime in one slash. Sarah's Life Points fell to 6000, but she smiled.

"Because you destroyed my **Mimic of Darkness Lv 3**, I get to draw 2 cards."

Joey looked at his hand again and smiled once more.

"Now I'll play **Foolish Burial **to place a monster from my deck into my Graveyard. Then I'll follow it with **Shallow Grave** so we can each set 1 monster facedown from our graveyard. Now it's your turn."

Sarah smirked as she drew her next card.

"Perfect. I'm activating **Memory Erasure**. If you have 3 or less cards in your hand you must shuffle it back into your deck and draw an equal amount of cards," explained Sarah, as Joey grabbed two cards, "then I activate **Invalidate **and **Greed**! If an effect causes you to draw cards, you have to discard the cards you drew because of the effect! So now you have no hand! And to add to that, **Greed **inflicts 1000 Life Points of Damage to you." cheered Sarah brightly. Joey mumbled something about stupid traps.

"Next, I'm activating **Focal Point of Four Dimensions **to shuffle my **Mimic of Darkness Lv 3 **and **Mystic Swordsman Lv 2** back into my deck. Then I'll set 2 Traps facedown to use later. And finally, I'll activate **Ectoplasm **and summon **Doll of Demise **(1500-1700) in Attack Mode!"

Sarah looked at her side of the field. It looked pretty good. She was feeling good about this duel.

"Okay, **Mystic Swordsman Lv 4**, attack his facedown monster!" called Sarah commandingly. Joey smirked. His monster's defense was too high for Sarah to scratch… which is why the swordsman cut straight through it like a knife through hot butter.

"Wha-!? My Red-Eyes! What happened?" yelled Joey in shock.

Sarah smiled sweetly as she explained.

"Well, my **Mystic Swordsman **is able to instantly cut through any facedown monster, even those with Defense higher than his Attack. Oh, and now I can transform it into **Mystic Swordsman Lv 6 **(2600-2000), since he destroyed a monster."

The swordsman didn't change very much, except his armour became sleek golden mail and his sword turned into an enourmous zweihander. He smirked at Joey with maddening superiority.

"And of course, because it's the end of my turn I can activate the magic of **Ectoplasmer**. This allows me to tribute 1 of my monsters each turn to do Life Points of damage to you equal to half it's Attack Strength. So I'll sacrifice **Doll of Demise**, doing 750 Life Points of damage to you, reducing you to 4750. And by it's own effect, **Doll of Demise **returns to the field for later use."

Joey groaned. He was in a bad situation.

"I draw and I'll activate **Sanctuary**! This lets me draw so that I have 6 cards in my hand!" called Joey cheerfully.

"And because **Greed **is a Continuous Trap, you lose 3000 Life Points, while I lose 2000. So now you only have 1750 Life Points left. Oh, and I activate my second **Invalidate **so you have to discard them all. Too bad."

Joey cursed. He still had no cards in his hand, and his only card on the field was **Norseman Berserker**.

"Ohh, Joey!" called Sarah charmingly.

"What?!" Joey still wasn't in a good mood.

"I'm also activating my other Trap card **Cemetery Bomb**, to deal 1500 Life Points of damage to you. Looks like you only have 250 Life Points left."

At this Joey began to panic. He could only destroy one of her two monsters. So she'd just use the other to sacrifice to **Ectoplasmer **and bam! He was gone.

_Oh man, what do I do now? I have no options left!_

Beside Joey a squeaky voice piped up. Joey jumped in fright.

"Ahh! Shish kabobs!" It was his **Swordsman of Landstar**.

"Joey. I have an effect to lend to you. Make good use of it, cause this can save you if you use it right."

"Yeah? What is it? C'mon, tell me!"

The little toy whispered in his ear and Joey looked at him, puzzled. Then his eyes lit up.

"Aaaaooooowwwwwwww. I get you. Okay, thanks buddy." He turned to Sarah and pointed at her. When he spoke, his voice was clear and confident.

"I'm activating my DeckMaster effect. It lets me put any one card from my deck into my hand. And that card is… **Heavy Storm**! So now I can destroy **Greed **and **Ectoplasmer**!"

Joey smirked as his Viking warrior hefted his axe up and pointed at the wooden doll.

"**Norseman Berserker**, turn that **Doll of Demise **into woodchips!" yelled Joey excitedly.

His warrior charged forward, head butted the doll and slapped the broad side of the axe into its head, which burst into splinters. Sarah's Life Points fell to 2500.

Sarah scowled slightly as she drew her next card. When she saw what it was, her scowl transformed into a confident smile.

"Yeah, now I can call out my best monster. Prepare yourself, Joey, for the most fearsome dragon in existence!" declared Sarah. Joey's face became slightly clouded. That didn't sound good. Sarah pulled two cards from her hand.

"Now, I'll sacrifice my **Mystical Swordsman Lv 6** to summon my powerful **Black Flare Dragon of Horus** (2300-1600) in Attack Mode! And using the magic of **Level Up!** I can morph it into the legendary **Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 8** (3000-1800)! As strong as a **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**, this beast is something to be feared!" taunted Sarah.

Joey took one look at it and began to shake. It was huge, black and scaly, except that it had the head of a falcon, and large feathery falcon's wings instead of traditional dragon wings.

"Since it's strength is equal to that of your **Norseman Berserker**, I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Joey drew his card and looked at it. His face lit up. He set it on the field facedown immediately and then glanced at his **Norseman Berserker**. He knew what would happen now.

Hisberserker, having no other target, charged towards the vicious dragon and slammed his axe down on its neck. Sarah's facedown Trap swung up to reveal itself and then the dueling field began to warp and spiral, as the berserker hefted his axe off the dragon's neck and charged backwards to his starting position.

"I've activated **Time Slip**! It negates the attack, protecting my beast. Now, it's my turn."

Sarah grabbed her card and slipped it into one of her Spell/Trap zones.

"I'm activating **Mountain**! This powers my dragon up to 3200, so I can destroy your berserker, leaving you with 50 Life Points!" called Sarah. Her dragon roared and razor-sharp feathers whirled around the Viking, slicing him up. Joey smiled weakly as it happened.

"Well, I may only have 50 Life Points left, but it's my turn now. So I'll draw and then I'll activate my Trap card, **Treasure of Destiny**! I get to roll a die and draw cards according to the number I rolled. So I roll and… 6! Yes! I get six cards to add to my hand, but in return I have to remove the top six cards of my deck from the game."

Joey glanced quickly at the cards he removed.

'_Jinzo, Monster Reborn, Graceful Dice, Die of Fate, Exponential Explosion of Epic Proportions in Your Galaxy and Mystical Refpanel. Damn, they were good cards! Guess I'll have to work with what I've got."_

Joey glanced at the seven cards in his hand and smiled as he grabbed one from his hand.

"I'll summon **Dark Dragon Hatchling **(800-500) and then I'll use its effect to turn it into **Red-Eyes Black Dragon** (2400-2000)! And then I'll play **Fissure**! That'll destroy your **Black Flare Dragon of Horus** so I can attack you directly!" cheered Joey happily. Sarah shook her head and giggled.

"Sorry Joey, but my dragon's ability allows me to negate any of your Spell cards, so I'll stop it. So what do you have now?"

Joey looked at his hand with worry. Sighing, he set his remaining four cards on the field.

Joey slumped slightly. Only his facedown cards could save him now. Then he looked at his field. He had to protect his Red-Eyes! It could win this duel for him, but only if he had some protection. Then he brightened. He had it! The perfect protection!

"Now I'll call my **Swordsman of Landstar **(500-1200) to the field in Defense Mode!" called Joey with determination. His little soldier stared nervously at the big dragon in front of him.

"Um, Joey, is this a good idea?" it squeaked worriedly. Joey looked at him confidently.

"Don't worry. I've got this duel won."

Sarah laughed loudly at this. She raised an eyebrow and began her turn.

"I'm sorry Joey, I thought you just said you'd win this. And yet I'm just about to slay your pathetic toy and end this. Oh, and just in case you plan on using those traps, my DeckMaster prevents my **Black Flare Dragon of Horus** from being destroyed by card effects. Now, attack his **Swordsman of Landstar**!" called Sarah passionately.

"Activate **One Silver Dollar**! This prevents any monster with 1000 or less Attack from being damaged this turn! Now it's my turn!" Joey drew his card and tossed it aside.

"I don't need that card, cause now I'll activate **Mythological Age** and **The Haunted's Cry**! They allow me to revive two of my monsters and I'll revive two monsters, one of which you forced me to discard with **Invalidate**!" cried Joey with a smug look. The look on Sarah's face was classic.

"Say hello to **Battle Warrior **(700-1000) and **Knight of Aquasky** (600-1100)! They may not be very strong, but now I can activate my final Trap card," Joey smirked slightly, then flipped up his last Trap.

"Activate **Overwhelming Forces**! When **Swordsman of Landstar**, **Battle Warrior** and **Knight of Aquasky **are on the field I can get rid of all your cards on the field!" yelled Joey exuberantly. "And that includes your dragon!"

Sarah chuckled indulgently again.

"Poor Joey, weren't you listening? My **Servant of Horus** prevents it from being destroyed!"

Joey simply stood steady and watched as his three warriors hacked, slashed and beat the huge dragon into non-existence.

"Hmm… Well then, it's lucky that **Overwhelming Forces** removes the cards from the game, isn't it?"

Sarah's mouth fell open in shock. Her greatest monster had just been annihilated and she had nothing left to protect her Life Points. Then her look of shock dissolved into a defeated smile.

"Well done Joey. You got through a monster I thought was just about unslayable. You deserve this win." Sarah congratulated him softly.

Joey looked gratified.

"Okay. Thanks. You were a great challenge. One of the toughest duels I've fought. I won't forget it easily." He then swept his hands over his monsters as he gave the final command of the duel.

"**Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Knight of Aquasky**! Attack and finish this!" shouted Joey triumphantly. His dragon launched a flaming burst at Sarah, followed by a swift charge from the horse-mounted knight. As his attack finished, he faded into nothingness, along with all the rest of Joey's monsters. The DuelDisks gave a final whir as they shut down, then a small whistle and a beep signified the end of the duel.

"Alright! Lunchtime!"

------------------------------------

Joey finished up the last of his second bowl of stir-fry and sighed contentedly.

"So you came third in your state regional tournament? That's pretty impressive Sarah."

"Second in Duelist Kingdom and fourth in Battle City isn't too shabby either you know."

Joey and Sarah were getting to know each other better but alas, it was time for Sarah to leave. She still had 1 piece of Exodia, so she still had a chance to qualify. As she stood up, she pulled a piece of paper out of her bag, scrawled something on it and dropped it in front of Joey. She scratched her head and blushed slightly.

"There's my e-mail, Joey. In case you want to keep in contact."

Joey grinned and tucked the piece of paper into his pocket.

"Will do. Well, been nice talking with you. Guess I'll see you around?" Joey asked uncertainly.

"Maybe. Guess I'll have to see how it goes. See ya!" Sarah waved goodbye and walked away. Joey watched her for a moment, then went back to finishing off his noodles. He tossed the empty bowl into a bin and jumped up, excited.

"Oh yeah! Round 2, here I come!"


	16. Duelist Traps

** Tournament of the Millennium! **  
_ Chapter 16: Duelist Traps – First Confrontation_  
  
Mokuba glanced at his digital watch absent-mindedly. It was getting late. It was close to 7:00, but it was still light, because it was summer in Australia. Still, Mokuba wanted to get back to Seto's penthouse. It was on top of the biggest and flashiest casino in Sydney, which Seto coincidentally owned. Well, technically. Legally he was still acquiring it, since he'd only recently turned 19, which was the very minimum age someone could own a casino in Australia.  
  
Mokuba flicked open the keyboard fixed to his right wrist and typed some commands into it quickly and efficiently. Reams of data began to stream across his visor; duelists still in the tournament, people qualified for Round 2, how many prize cards each duelist had, which ones they possessed, etc, etc. Mokuba noted with only a slight hint of surprise that Yugi had qualified for Round 2. He knew that Seto had beaten him firmly and yet, he'd qualified. Joey was qualified too, but that didn't surprise Mokuba. He gave Joey a lot more credit than his brother did.  
  
Pressing another button, Mokuba brought his own profile up. He'd won two duels, had 4 pieces of Exodia and needed only one more. Out of the 237 duelists still in the tournament, he was ranked 206th. Not that bad, considering that only that morning he'd been unregistered and unknown to the wider dueling community. His prize cards so far were Dark Ruler Ha Des and Tyrant Dragon. Mokuba paused from his study of his progress. He could feel that someone was watching him. Slowly and cautiously, Mokuba switched off the visor, returning it to its transparent state.  
  
In front of him was a girl, watching him intently. Mokuba's stomach gave a lurch. She was cute. He guessed that she was about 15, only two years his elder if he was correct. She had raven-black hair that was swept back behind her carelessly, and deep ebony eyes. Her skin had a deep tan, and she wore a dress of light cream cotton, which fluttered loosely in the wind. Mokuba noted that the dress didn't even fall halfway down her thighs, revealing most of her long, slender legs. Mokuba gulped, suddenly feeling nervous.  
  
"Yes?" he asked uncertainly. He felt as if he knew this girl, like he'd seen her before.  
  
"You're Mokuba Kaiba. I want to duel you. And I have something for you to deliver," the girl stated calmly. Her voice was playful and full of vitality, and Mokuba rubbed his hands on his shirt, trying to wipe them dry. At the moment they would have felt like fish.  
  
Mokuba stood up from the bench he was sitting on, and tilted his head slightly, to show he was interested. As he did so he noticed an interesting armband, she wore. It was made of a silvery metal and had the letters 'DT' engraved on it.  
  
She noted his interest in his armband and laughed. Her laugh reminded Mokuba of spring, and baby birds.  
  
"I'll give you the package after we duel, and I'll tell you what it means when we duel. I have four pieces of Exodia and I know you do as well. So one piece each. My head, your left arm." She cut straight to business. Mokuba waved his arms frantically.  
  
"Hold on! You know who I am, but who are you?" he asked inquisitively. She laughed again and stuck her hand out to shake his. He shook her hand, hoping his hands weren't still clammy.  
  
"My name is Clee. Clee Mana Hepshut."  
  
Mokuba blinked. So she was Egyptian. That would explain the tan. And her clothing.  
  
"Nice to meet you Clee. Alright, your terms sound fair to me."  
  
Clee smiled appreciatively.  
  
"You can call me Mana if you want, all my close friends do."  
  
Mokuba's stomach lurched again. It felt like he'd eaten a cage of butterflies for lunch.  
  
"Umm... okay then. But I think I like Clee better. Do you want to bet on the prize cards now?"  
  
Clee nodded vigorously.  
  
"For sure! I'll bet my Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End, if you're willing to bet your Toon World."  
  
Mokuba gasped, shocked. How did she know he had that card?  
  
"Your DeckMaster is Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon. I recognize that from your brother's duel against Pegasus," Clee explained. In Mokuba's mind, this still left some big questions. Seto's duel against Pegasus hadn't been broadcast. No one except those in the castle saw it.  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Okay then, I'll agree to your terms. So let's duel!"  
  
Mokuba hopped up and began to prepare. He flicked open his keyboard and typed some more commands. More data scrolled across his visor.  
  
Name: Clee Hepshut. Age: 15 Nationality: Egyptian Deck Type: Hand/Deck Disruption World Rank: 498  
  
Mokuba didn't think this would be too hard of a duel. Only the top 500 duelists had been invited. She'd just made it in. Still, if she ran a disruption deck, he'd have to modify his own deck. His deck wasn't designed to cope with it.  
  
Mokuba snapped open the briefcase in front of him, pulling out all variety of cards. In the end, he only switched a few. Now his deck was ready.  
  
He jumped up and drew his first five cards. They weren't bad. Since Clee had challenged him, that meant he had to start off, so he drew another card.  
  
"**Manju of the 10,000 Hands **(1400-1000) in Attack Mode. And that allows me to put **Ruler of Heaven Shinato **into my hand. Set 1 card and end turn. So what's that armband about?" Mokuba asked cheekily.  
  
Clee smiled as she drew her card. She picked two cards in her hand and activated them.  
  
"Activate **Delinquent Duo** and **Confiscation**. **Confiscation **will destroy the **Shinato** in your hand, then you lose a card at random and a card of your choice because of **Delinquent Duo**. However, it costs me 2000 Life Points."  
  
Mokuba sighed as he discarded **Shinato, Suijin of Atlantis** and **Chishiki**. Now he only had **Raijin of Olympus** and **Magician of Faith** in his hand.  
  
Clee rubbed her armband and began to explain it. Mokuba listened intently.  
  
"This armband signifies that I'm part of a duelist clan. You know what a clan is, right?"  
  
Mokuba shook his head. He had a vague idea, but not a very clear one.  
  
"It's a registered team of duelists. They can enter tournaments as a team in order to get better chances of winning, or simply for the fun of it. If a clan member wins a prize, it's split between the clan. There are some tournaments in which you have to be part of a clan to compete, because the clans duel against each other, with each member playing one duel, or something like that."  
  
Mokuba nodded to show his understanding.  
  
"I'm part of a clan called the Duelist Traps. Hence, my armband has DT engraved on it. All Duelist Trap members have one."  
  
"How many Duelist Traps are there?" Mokuba asked with some curiosity.  
  
"Let's see... over two hundred and seventy at the moment. It's really amazing. It's the second biggest clan in existence, which is pretty good, considering that it's run by two 16 year olds and a 19 year old."  
  
Mokuba's mouth fell open in shock. 270 was a huge amount. Most clans had 15 or less members.  
  
"However, most of the members are only casual members, scattered around the world. Level 3 members, to be precise. There are only nine Level 2 members and three Level 1 members. Only Level 1 and 2 members are participating on behalf of the clan at this tournament."  
  
Mokuba thought about that carefully.  
  
"What are Level 2 duelists? You must be one of them."  
  
Clee laughed and explained.  
  
"Well, basically, Level 2 duelists are the public face of a clan, normally the best of the clan's duelists will be Level 2, except the very best, who may be Level 1. None of our clan's duelists fall under that category. If they're really good, they're Level 2. Our Level 1 is the founders only. Alternatively, a Level 2 duelist can just be someone the clan's founder favours, such as a personal friend. You could say I fall into both categories there."  
  
Clee pulled another card from her hand and placed it on the dueldisk.  
  
"Now, I'll summon **Golden Snatch Eagle **(1650-1350) in Attack and destroy your Manju. You lose 250 Life Points and have to discard a card from your hand."  
  
A golden eagle swooped forward and shredded up Mokuba's many-handed man. Mokuba pushed **Raijin of Olympus** into the Graveyard sadly.  
  
As Mokuba drew his card, Clee continued to chat with him about the Duelist Traps.  
  
"I'm the scout for the DT's. I go in first and try to find worthy opponents for us to duel. I'm hoping that, if you make it to Round 2, you will come and fight against us? Oh, and our leader has asked if you could try to convince the rest of the Millennium Duelist clan to come with you. A formal challenge from one clan to another."  
  
Mokuba blinked in shock at this. What was she talking about?  
  
"Um, sorry, can't say I know any Millennium Duelists. And I'm not one of them."  
  
Clee furrowed her brow in thought.  
  
"That's weird. Says you are on the clan register. Along with Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Mai Valentine, Ryou Bakura and your brother."  
  
Mokuba did a double-take. There was no way his brother would have agreed to be part of any clan. Especially not one with Yugi and Joey in it.  
  
"Yeah, and seems Solomon Moto is the founder, but Seto Kaiba is acting president of it."  
  
Now Mokuba was beginning to understand. Yugi's Grandpa had registered them all for some crackpot reason, and now Seto was taking control so he could sort out the issues and dismantle the clan. He'd heared Seto fuming about it almost a week ago.  
  
Mokuba set both of the cards in his hand and ended his turn.  
  
"So what convinced you to join the DT's?"  
  
Clee studied the card she'd drawn carefully and then set it on the field. She ordered **Golden Snatch Eagle **to slay the facedown **Magician of Faith**, and Mokuba placed **Chishiki **back into his hand.  
  
"Well, my mentor introduced my to the leader of the DT's and requested that I join. So I did."  
  
Mokuba drew his next card and then activated **Chishiki**. Clee flipped up the Trap she had just set.  
  
"I'll activate **Invalidate**, forcing you to discard the three cards you had drawn."  
  
Mokuba discarded his **Kazejin of Valhalla, Change of Heart **and **Toon World** with a heavy heart. He'd hoped to use his Toon World card. Then he activated the one card in his hand.  
  
"Activate **Soul Release**. Remove **Kazejin of Valhalla, Suijin of Atlantis, Raijin of Olympus, Toon World **and **Chishiki**."  
  
Mokuba pulled the five cards out of his Graveyard and stuck them in another slot. Clee looked sorrowful as she watched.  
  
"Oh no. You lost **Toon World**. I really wanted to see you use that card. I wanted to duel you at your best, with your best moves and tactics."  
  
Mokuba snorted.  
  
"Funny way to do that, if you destroy every tactic before I establish it. You've already crippled three of my main tactics. **Toon World, Gate Guardian **and **Shinato**. So I think it's time to mess with your tactics a bit."  
  
Mokuba flipped up his two cards triumphantly.  
  
"Activate **Holy Dimension **and** Heaven's Gate**!"  
  
Fluffy white smoke poured from Mokuba's dueldisk, surrounding both of them and completely changing the scenery, similar to Bakura's Dark Sanctuary card.  
  
Mokuba and Clee now stood ankle deep in clouds, with more clouds above them. The whole place glowed with etheric light. Behind Mokuba, large ornate golden gates rose from the clouds and opened. Small cherubs fluttered out of the gates and soothing harp and trumpet music could be heard. Clee looked around, not in the slightest bit flustered.  
  
"My **Holy Dimension** can only be activated if at least 5 cards are in my removed from game pile. It prevents you from using any effect that would affect my hand in any way. So I've just sealed your only strategy. And also, **Heaven's Gate**, which can only be activated if **Holy Dimension **is active, allows me to draw one card each Standby Phase."  
  
Clee pursed her lips. That could be troubling. Shrugging it off, Clee drew her card and summoned it.  
  
"I'll summon **Don Zaloog **(1400-1000) in Attack Mode. And now, both of my monsters will attack you directly, for 3050 Life Points of Damage."  
  
With that attack, the Life Point scores changed to Clee: 6000 Mokuba: 4700.  
  
"Also, I activate **Don Zaloog's **second effect, allowing me to discard 2 cards from your deck. My hand disruption strategy may be ruined, but not my deck destruction strategy."  
  
Mokuba discarded **Light Magician Girl **and **Cleric of Heaven**. He waited for any other move, but Clee motioned him to make his move.  
  
Mokuba drew his two cards and placed one of them on the field.  
  
"I'll activate **Hell's Gate**. And then I'll just summon my **Toon Gemini Elf **(1900-900)! **Toon Gemini Elf**, attack and kill the **Don Zaloog**!"  
  
Clee watched passively as the cartoon twins destroyed her thief, and her life points fell to 5700. Then she drew her card. As she did, a huge black granite gate burst up behind her, maniacal laughter sweeping from it. Bats poured out, shrieking shrilly.  
  
Clee glanced at Mokuba calmly.  
  
"So what does **Hell's Gate **do, exactly?"  
  
"It forces you to discard a card from your hand every Standby phase."  
  
"So be it. Goodbye, **White Magical Hat**."  
  
Clee checked her hand. She still had 4 cards. She picked one and summoned it to the field.  
  
"**Sangan **(1000-600) Defense Mode. And **Golden Snatch Eagle **into Defense as well. End turn. So, Mokuba, what's it like being you?"  
  
Mokuba was thrown by Clee's question. He'd never really thought about it.  
  
"Um, cool, I guess. I get pretty much anything I want. But I don't ask for much," he added hastily, not wanting to seem spoiled.  
  
"But surely such a life leaves little social time? You mustn't have many friends."  
  
Mokuba nodded as he drew his 2 cards.  
  
"Not really, but I'm used to it. I can entertain myself. Um, 2 cards facedown and now I'll kill the **Golden Snatch Eagle**."  
  
Clee smiled as she drew her card. Just what she'd been waiting for.  
  
"Excellent. Now, I'll have to discard **Compulsory Evacuation Device**. And now, I'll remove the **Don Zaloog **and **White Magical Hat **in my Graveyard to Special Summon **Chaos Emperor Dragon –Envoy of the End** (3000-2500) and activate it's special effect!"  
  
Mokuba braced himself. Seto used this card, so Mokuba knew what was coming next.  
  
"Now I'll pay 1000 Life Points in order to destroy my **Chaos Emperor Dragon**, along with every card on the field and in either player's hand. So goodbye all!"  
  
Mokuba watched his 6 cards on the field burst into flame, along with Clee's 3, and the 3 in her hand.  
  
"Now you take 300 Life Points of Damage for each card destroyed, so that's 3600 Life Points of Damage. You have 1100 Life Points left!" called Clee playfully.  
  
Mokuba responded in a voice just as cheery as hers, "Not quite!"  
  
As the two gates exploded, flame spewed out of the one behind Clee and blue light out of Mokuba's. Their Life Points adjusted to Clee: 3700 Mokuba: 3100.  
  
"**Hell's Gate **deals 1000 damage to you when destroyed, while **Heaven's Gate **heals mine by 2000."  
  
Clee looked slightly surprised, but smirked as she made her next play.  
  
"It doesn't matter. One thing you must learn Mokuba, is to be prepared. You should always have a trap able to prevent the summoning of a monster, just in case something like this happens," Clee lectured calmly as she searched through her deck.  
  
"Using **Sangan** I can fetch a one **Yata-Garasu **from my deck into my hand. Now, all I have to do is summon it, attack with it and that's Yata-lock and game. It's been fun playing Mokuba, but now, it's time for you to invite the rest of the Millennium Duelists, deliver the packages I have, and confront the DT's for a rematch. Now, **Yata-Garasu**, attack directly!" called Clee energetically.  
  
As the eight crows swooped towards Mokuba he smirked.  
  
"One thing you must learn, Clee, is to expect the unexpected. I expected **Yata-Garasu**. You didn't expect this!" he shouted as a spiritual figure, bright and colourful, burst into existence. "**Ghost of Christmas Future **(1950-0) use Wraith Wrap counterattack!"  
  
The ghost stuck its hands out and waves of rainbow energy emanated from them. The energy struck the crows and they dropped from the sky, dead. Clee stared, shocked, at what had happened as her life points fell to 1950.  
  
"What! How? How'd you do that Moki?" cried Clee in surprise.  
  
Mokuba rolled his eyes at what she'd called him, then explained.  
  
"**Yata-Garasu **is an ever-present threat in any major tournament, due to it's pure potential. So I put **Ghost of Christmas Future **into my deck. It can be summoned to the field at any time. All I have to do is remove 2 Spellcasters from my Graveyard. It then gains half the combined Attack of the removed Spellcasters. So, since I removed **Light Magician Girl **(1400- 1500) and **Cleric of Light **(2500-2100), it's attack was 1950."  
  
Mokuba drew his card and smiled slightly at Clee.  
  
"It's been fun, but now, it's time to finish this. **Ghost of Christmas Future **attack directly!" Mokuba pointed at Clee and she swept her hand upwards.  
  
"Activate DeckMaster effect, _Dark Wicca_! This effect negates the attack and then I gain half the monster's ATK as Life Points!" Clee declared as her life points rose to 3425.  
  
Mokuba glanced at the card in his hand and shrugged.  
  
"Okay then, time to reintroduce one of my strategies! Activate **Chaos Fusion**! This lets me pay 2000 Life Points to put up to 3 Spell or Trap cards from my removed from game pile into my hand! Activate **Chishiki** and **Toon World**!"  
  
Mokuba whooped happily as the giant toon book appeared on the field and sucked his ghost in. In its place was a Christmas Tree with bauble eyes and tinsel lips.  
  
"Cool! **Toon World**! Good play Moki!"  
  
Mokuba smiled and activated the **Second Wind **he'd received because of **Chishiki**. His Life Points rose up to 5100.  
  
Clee drew her next card and glanced at it. Then she slotted it into her graveyard.  
  
"Activate **Pot of Greed**. Now, activate **Monster Reborn **to revive **Chaos Emperor Dragon**! Next, I'll use the secondary effect of my DeckMaster, **Dark Witch**, to place the card in my hand into her safekeeping for one turn. And now I'll use **Chaos Emperor Dragon's **effect again!" called Clee. Her Life Points fell to 2425.  
  
Mokuba's Life Points fell to 3600 and then Clee laughed as her **Dark Witch **leapt over her and landed in front of her.  
  
"Now, let's finish this. By bringing **Dark Witch **onto the field, I can access the card I gave her to safe-keep. Activate **Premature Burial **to revive **Chaos Emperor Dragon **at a cost of 800 Life Points! And now, **Chaos Emperor Dragon **will attack you directly, reducing your Life Points to 600. Finally, I'll finish this duel with a direct attack from my **Dark Witch **(1800-1600)!"  
  
"Not so fast, I'll summon Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon to protect my Life Points! If you attack with Dark Witch now, you'll lose!" declared Mokuba stoutly.  
  
Clee realized that Mokuba was right. She also realized another thing. She had nothing to protect her **Dark Witch**. All Mokuba had to do was attack her next turn and it was over.  
  
"Well done Mokuba. Great move! Looks like you have me beat. You've played better than I thought you would. You have lived up to Zeak's praise and more. But, you just have one more thing to learn from me this duel." Clee looked sad as she contemplated what she was about to do and Mokuba realized what was about to happen.  
  
"**Chaos Emperor Dragon**. _Apocalypse Blast_!" Clee yelled loudly. Her life points fell to 625 and the dragon ripped itself to shreds with a huge explosion. Clee's witch shrieked as she disintegrated, and Mokuba's cartoon dragon melted into blue ink. Both duelists' Life Points dropped to 0. It was a draw.  
  
Clee strode over to Mokuba and dropped four cards into his hand. He stared at them. Only one he could recognize. Exodia the Forbidden One.  
  
"You deserve it. I could have won that if I'd just taken the Premature Burial from Dark Witch without summoning her, attacked with my dragon and then nuked it. I missed that and as such, lost the duel. We'll call it even if I keep my Chaos Emperor Dragon, hey?"  
  
Mokuba nodded mutely. It seemed overly generous of her to be doing that, but who was he to argue?  
  
"Now, here are the details for the DT challenge. Give them to Seto, he'll organize it. And those other three cards are for Yugi, Seto and Joey. They'll know whose is whose. Tell them it's a gift from Shadi."  
  
Mokuba repeated her information, then, when she was satisfied, she bent over and gave Mokuba a kiss on the cheek. He blushed furiously and looked up from the cards to say something, but she was gone. She'd just vanished. Too confused to do anything else, Mokuba looked at the cards again. He knew what they were. He knew all too well what they were.  
  
"The Legendary Dragons..."


	17. Legion's Challenge Deal with the Devil

**- Tournament of the Millennium! -**

_Chapter 17: Deal with the Devil – Legion's Challenge _

Weevil glanced furtively around, and pulled his baseball cap lower, to cover his face. Sneaking another quick peek, he scurried towards the BattleDome under the cover of darkness. As he crossed the parking lot, Weevil shot a look at his watch. 9:58. He'd better hurry. Two minutes to go.

Reaching the BattleDome, he pressed himself up against the wall and slid towards the entrance. In the darkness, he could see a silhouetted shadow looming near the door. It must be the person who told him to come here. Rushing forward, Weevil began to make out the features of the person standing by the door. He was hunched slightly, as if in great pain. Weevil stifled a scream as the man's face came into view.

It was horribly burned and scarred, with one eye peering from raw pink flesh, the other sealed forever under a large mound of dead scar tissue. He mouth was distorted and stretched at one side, as if his face had had a lot of its flesh on that side removed. His hair, or what was left of it, stood in small, forlorn spikes, ravaged forever by his horrific injuries.

"Mrgh? Is… that you, Legion?" the man groaned as he turned to face Weevil, his voice deep and rasping, like the man had swallowed metal shavings, or even lumps of glass. He drew in a choking breath with a deep rattle, which sounded to Weevil like he has trying to suck a drink out of an empty cup. Weevil skidded to a halt and made a quaking reply.

"N-no. I was told to come here to meet Legion. Who are you?"

The man chuckled hoarsely and started to cough and splutter.

"Panik. I used to be an eliminator for Pegasus."

"Ah, good to see that you two are already introduced. It shall be vital, as you two are to work as a team." A third voice cut into their conversation. Weevil and Panik looked around sharply, but no one seemed to be there.

"You cannot see me. But I can see you. And I am pleased by what I see. For from now on, you two shall be my eyes and my ears."

Weevil's face grew red at this, and Panik seemed to take offence as well.

"Who're you to say what we have to do?"

The voice chuckled and the world around them faded to darkness. Weevil squeaked in surprise and shuffled closer to Panik. In front of them, a warrior emerged. He wore armour so black that the pitch-blackness around him seemed to be little more than a gray colour in comparison. The man was huge, at least twelve feet high, and the armour he wore was studded with spikes and sharp edges. A large and very vicious helmet covered his head, with two great horns on top. He reminded Weevil overall of Sauron, from the Lord of the Rings movies.

"Thank you for coming. I have an offer for you two. You two duel me as a test of your abilities. I will duel alone against you. If you two defeat me, then you are awarded instant qualification to the finals, the both of you. However, if you lose to me, I have a task for you."

Weevil looked suspicious. It sounded too good to be true.

"What's the catch?"

Legion inclined his head towards him.

"You are to duel against a certain somebody that I wish to test. That is all. Do you agree to my terms?"

"Fine then. I'll accept," growled Panikin his rasping voice. Weevil quickly agreed.

"Very well. Now, you two may begin. One of you is to move first, then the other, then it is my turn."

Panik snorted and shuffled sideways a bit, then activated his DuelDisk. Weevil did likewise.

Panik drew his five-card hand, and then drew another to signify that he would start. His face twisted into a leer as he glared at the card he had. He slotted it into his DuelDisk with some difficulty and activated it.

"I'll play **Blitzkrieg**. By paying 4000 Life Points, all monsters can attack on their first turn from now on, and may attack twice per turn."

Panik laughed gruffly and pulled two other cards from his hand.

"I'll summon **Castle of Dark Illusions** (930/1920) in Defense Mode and then activate **Throne of Dark Ruler**. By sacrificing a Fiend on my field," at this the hovering castle shattered and crumbled, "I can Special Summon a **Dark Ruler Ha Des **(2450/1600) in Attack Mode from my deck."

In front of Panik, flames shot out of the ground, causing Panik to step back in horror and wrap his arms around himself protectively.

"Don't… like… fire."

Out of the flames a large regal demon emerged, roaring fiercely, and it stomped over to Legion, eying him suspiciously. Panik managed to stand back up and pulled another card from his hand. All the time he was staring at the demon with his one eye. It was incredible how real it seemed!

"I'll activate **Black Pendant **to power up my **Dark Ruler Ha Des **to 2950, and then it'll attack twice, due to Blitzkrieg."

The demon leapt forward and swung its claws at Legion. However, Legion raised a shield attached to his left arm to intercept the attack. It glowed slightly as Ha Des followed up its attack, reducing Legion's Life Points to 2100.

Taking his cue, Weevil drew his cards and stared at them. He pulled some cards from his hand and played them.

"I'll summon **Basic Insect** in Attack Mode (500/700) and equip him with **Laser Cannon Armour**. That increases his attack to 800."

In front of Weevil, a mantis burst from the ground, rubbing its front legs together to make a shrill chirping noise. Beams of light launched from Weevil's DuelDisk and melded into large cannons on the insect's shoulders. Weevil gasped at how real it seemed in the dark of the night. He would have sworn he could hear the cannons humming as they built up energy, and feel the warmth radiating from them. Shakily, Weevil pulled another card from his hand.

"Activate **Forest**. That powers up my **Basic Insect** to 1000. Now I'll attack directly twice, leaving you, Legion, with a meager 100 Life points. I'll set my remaining three cards and end my turn."

Weevil snickered. The cards he'd set were** Moth-Drawing Light**, **Great Swarm of Bugs, **and **Leeches**. **Great Swarm of Bugs **would create 4 Bug Tokens with 800 attack by sacrificing his **Basic Insect**, then **Moth-Drawing Light **would force them to Legion's side of the field, and by activating **Leeches**, Legion would be sapped of 400 Life Points. Then he would lose.

Legion drew his six cards and smirked within his helmet. The fools. The game was his.

"Activate **Temple of Kings**. . Do you chain?"

Weevil smirked and flipped up one of his cards.

"I'll activate **Great Swarm of Bugs**."

"Activate DeckMaster Effect. **Mariokutai**. Sacrifice half my Life Points to negate one Spell card. So I am left with 50 Life Points."

Legion pulled another card from his hand and activated it with cold indifference.

"Now is the end of you. Activate **Pot of Greed**, followed by **Graceful Charity**. Now, discard 2 cards." Legion declared everything he did in a calm, icy manner.

"Activate **Reckless Greed **to draw 2 cards. Activate 2 more **Reckless Greed **to draw 4."

Legion pulled 6 cards from his deck. Then he picked one of the cards in his hand and activated it.

"**Treasure of Nibelung**. Draw 5. Activate **Chishiki **to draw 3, then **Blood Transfusion **to draw 3 at a cost of half my Life Points." Legion's Life Points fell to 25.

"**Treasure of Guardian Goddess. **Discard 5, draw 2. Next, activate **Devil's Blood Drops**. Draw 5. At the end of the turn, I lose the duel. Activate **Vase of Greed**."

Weevil gasped as Legion drew the last card in his deck. That was insane! He'd just gone through 40 cards in a single turn. What did he plan to do?

Legion pulled 5 cards from his hand and placed them in the monster slots of his DuelDisk. The ground began to rumble and Weevil crouched down tentatively. Whatever was about to happen, it was sure to be bad.

Legion began to laugh manically as the ground below him split open and a huge beast started to drag itself out of the fissure.

"Face the wrath of the Unstoppable Exodia! Exodia, _Obliterate_!" yelled Legion in a hoarse voice as the great warrior pulled its manacled hands together and fired a blast of light towards the two hapless victims. Weevil and Panik were engulfed whole. The Shadow Realm around them began to evaporate, as did Legion, unable to maintain a corporeal state in the physical realm. However, as he disappeared, beams of light shot from the bodies of Panik and Weevil, who fell limply to the floor, and were absorbed by Legion's amulet. As he faded, Weevil and Panik hauled themselves from the ground, dazed and confused, and with a glazed look in their eyes. Legion's voice echoed through their minds.

My puppets, you are to duel a potential accomplice to me, a one Ryou Bakura. He is nearing the BattleDome now. You are to bet your only pieces of Exodia and your rarest cards, whatever they may be.

Panik and Weevil turned their glazed eyes towards a rustling bush, from which a scowling Bakura emerged. His Ring was glowing brightly. When he spotted them standing in the doorway, he growled.

"What's the meaning of this? I'm here to see Legion."

"To see Legion, you must first defeat us."

"Yes, we are his disciples. Only through our defeat can you pass."

"We are to wager one piece of Exodia each. This is to be a two-on-one duel. I, Panik, shall start, my associate Weevil will follow, and then you will make your move. That is how it will operate. You have no choice in the matter."

Bakura studied them closely. Panik's voice, though rasping and terrible to hear, was droning and lifeless, a sure sign that Legion had done something to them. Bakura guessed they were under mind control.

"Fine, I accept your terms. So, let's go. Choose your deckmasters!"

"I select **King of Yamimakai**." Panik pushed his DeckMaster into his Disk.

"I choose **Pinch Hopper**."

Bakura flicked through his deck and pulled a card from it. He examined it for a while, then deemed it suitable.

"I shall use the fearsome **Dark Necrofear **as my DeckMaster. So we begin."

The three duelists stood in a triangle formation outside the darkened arch of the BattleDome entrance. Panik drew his cards and lifelessly chose one to activate.

"I'll start by playing **Pot of Greed **to draw 2 cards. Then I will set two cards and end my turn."

Bakura smirked as the two cards appeared in front of Panik.

"Oh. Horrors."

Weevil drew his cards and took one to use.

"I summon **Flying Kamakiri #1 **(1400-900) in Attack Mode. Then I set one card. End turn."

Bakura laughed as he drew his card. This duel didn't look like it would present much of a challenge. As he drew, however, Panik activated one of his face-down cards.

"Activate **Clown's Game**. This can only be activated if I have 5 Spell or Trap cards in my hand, so I must reveal my hand."

Panik handed his hand to Bakura to examine. Bakura looked at it. The cards were **Menace of Yamimakai, Grave Swap, Struggle of Chaos, Circus of Horrors **and **Eye of Illusion**. Bakura handed them back to Panik.

"Now, you must discard 2 at random from my hand."

Bakura glared at the cards. Eventually he picked the two left-most cards.

"Doesn't matter what they are. All your cards are useless."

"You discarded **Grave Swap **and **Menace of Yamimakai**. Now, I shuffle my hand and you choose a card at random. You must then guess which card it is."

Panik slowly shuffled his hand and held them out, facedown, to Bakura. Bakura tapped the middle one thoughtfully and guessed, "**Struggle of Chaos**."

Panik flipped the card up.

"**Eye of Illusion**. You lose 2000 Life Points."

Bakura cursed as his Life Points fell to 6000. Growling softly, he took two cards from his hand.

"I'll summon **Headless Knight **(1450-1700) in Attack Mode and play **Kill the Dead Treasure**. During each player's End Phase, they must discard cards from their deck equal to the number of monsters they control, but only if they have any cards in their Graveyard. Then I'll set one card facedown. Now, **Headless Knight**, destroy the **Flying Kamakiri #1**!" commanded Bakura.

As the knight charged towards Weevil, he activated his Trap card.

"Activate **Carrier**. Exchange **Flying Kamakiri #1 **for **Cocoon of Evolution** (0-2000) in Defense Mode."

The hovering stick insect vanished in a flash of light, and was replaced by a huge cocoon. Bakura's knight ran headlong into it, and Bakura's Life Points fell by 550. B LP: 5450

Panik drew his card and stared at it. Eventually, he placed it on the field.

"Activate Field Spell, **Yamimakai**. Now the field is cloaked in darkness."

A great black cloud swelled out from Panik's DuelDisk, obscuring him completely from Bakura's sight.

"Activate facedown card, **Slave to the Dark**. Summon one Level 4 or lower Fiend from my deck. Select **Mobiko the Dark Clown**." Panik pulled a card from his deck and placed it on the field. Bakura heard the familiar sound of a summon, but couldn't see the monster.

"**Yamimakai **reduces the Level of Fiends in my deck by 1. So Peten is only Level 4. Now, activate Spell card, **Circus of Horror**. Special Summon up to 4 cards with 'Clown' in their name. Summon 2 **Mobiko the Dark Clown**, **Clown of Yamimakai** and **Trapeze Artist, Aeroba the Clown**."

Bakura couldn't see what was happening, but he knew that couldn't be good news.

"Set one card facedown, then **Mobiko the Dark Clown** and **Aeroba the Clown** attack directly."

Bakura swore viciously as three murderous clowns and a cart-wheeling clown passed by his **Headless Spirit **and smacked him up. Bakura gasped, surprised, as his Life Points fell to 50. Now he was worried. All Weevil had to do was attack him with a monster with 1500 or more attack and the duel was over.

"Activate effect of **Aeroba the Clown**. When it inflicts Life Points of Damage, a card must be discarded at random from the opponent's hand."

"Ah, to hell with you! Fine, discard **Dark Necrofear**." As Bakura thought about Panik's play, he began to find the ingenuity in it. By attacking directly, he left the Headless Knight on Bakura's field, to force Bakura to discard a card due to **Kill the Dead Treasure**. But because it required a card in the Graveyard to use, Panik had used a card that discarded from his hand in order to kick its effect off. Thinking of that reminded Bakura of something.

"Ha. Now you must discard 7 cards from your deck, due to the effects of **Kill the Dead Treasure**."

Panik carelessly pulled 7 cards from his deck and placed them in his Graveyard.

"My turn. Draw card," Weevil stated. As he drew, a blast of dark lightning shot out of the darkness surrounding Panik and shocked Weevil's cocoon.

"What the hell was that?!" snapped Bakura.

"During a player's Standby Phase any of their monsters that are not Fiends or Spellcasters lose 1 level. If their Level reaches 0, it is destroyed."

Weevil did not look troubled by this. He really didn't look much at all. Just kind of stared.

"Summon **Flying Kamakiri # 1** (1400-900). Attack **Headless Knight**."

Weevil's insect zoomed towards the decapitated warrior, who responded with a swift upward slice of his sword, cleaving the insect in half. As it fell to the ground, another insect formed, its mandibles snapping hungrily.

"Summon **Flying Kamakiri # 2 **(1500-800), using the effect of **Flying Kamakiri # 1**. Then activate DeckMaster Effect. When my Insects die in Battle, I may call another of equal or lower level from hand. Summon **Poison Caterpillar** (800-500) in Defense Mode. Now, **Flying Kamakiri # 2 **attack **Headless Knight**."

As the insect rushed towards Bakura, ready to destroy his remaining Life Points, Bakura revealed his facedown card.

"Activate **Dark Sanctuary**! Use _Resentment Spirit Counterattack!_" called Bakura. The insect stopped in the air and a fiery spirit burst from it's back. It slammed into Weevil, reducing his Life Points to 7200. Bakura then gained the 800 Life Points Weevil had just lost.

Bakura laughed as the darkness around Panik faded, revealing him again. Panik didn't react, but his monsters were all revealed.

"Ha, your Field Spell is destroyed. So, let's see… **Mobiko the Dark Clown**… 3 of them, each with 1600 Attack, each able to attack directly. All Level 5 as well, so you used **Circus of Horror **to avoid the tribute. **Aeroba the Clown**, with 600 Atk, and **Clown of Yamimakai**, with 2450 Attack. Moderately impressive."

"End turn. Discard 9 cards due to **Kill the Dead Treasure**."

Bakura drew his card and smirked as he glanced at it. It would just about solve some of the problems he faced.

"I'll tribute **Headless Knight **to sustain **Dark Sanctuary **and then play **Dark Hell Portal**! All monsters on the field are destroyed, and each player loses 500 Life Points for each monster under their control destroyed! So Weevil, you take 1500 Life Points of Damage, while you take 2500 Life Points of Damage Panik!"

Panik and Weevil's Life Points adjusted according to Bakura's calculations.

B LP: 850. P LP: 5500. W LP: 5700.

"Now I'll play **Payment for the Dead**. I may draw cards for every monster destroyed this turn. That's eight."

Bakura pulled his cards and smirked as he observed his cards.

"Excellent. Activate **Monster Reborn**! Now, I'll Special Summon one of your **Mobiko the Dark Clown** cards. I think their Direct Attack ability will prove handy."

In front of Bakura, the manic clown appeared. Bakura pulled another card from his hand.

"Activate **Spiritualistic Medium**. By discarding the remaining 7 cards in my hand, I can power up **Mobiko the Dark Clown **by 3500 Atk, bringing him to 5100."

Bakura glanced at the two duelists in front of him. Which should he attack?

"Mmm, well, both of you are so pathetically weak, I can't decide who to attack. How about…Weevil. Mobiko, attack Weevil directly!"

The black-clothed clown leapt forward and slapped Weevil firmly, dropping his Life Points to 600. Bakura then ended his turn.

Panik drew and placed his card onto the field.

"Summon **Pennywise the Clown** (1350-950). Using his effect, I can Special Summon **Ringmaster, Harlequin the Clown **(0-0)."

Two clowns appeared in front of Panik, one large one wearing a shiny silver suit with orange pompoms (anyone here seen Stephen King's IT?) while the other wore baggy blue pants with large colourful patches on them.

"Now, activate **The Misery Clown**. This Spell changes one clown to Defense Mode. Now **Mobiko the Clown** is changed to defense mode, with only 900 Defense. Now **Pennywise the Clown **attacks and destroys it."

Bakura sneered as he tapped a button on his DuelDisk.

"**Dark Sanctuary **_Resentment Spirit Counterattack!_" called Bakura confidently.

Pennywise froze halfway through pulling a custard pie out of his pocket, and the fiery wraith of the Dark Sanctuary burst from his back, zooming towards Panik. It slammed into him, reducing his Life Points to 4825. Panik coughed slightly, his deep, warped voice resonating in his chest. Then he directed Harlequin to attack.

"That's pointless! Harlequin has 0 Attack Strength!" called Bakura with some surprise.

"Pay 2000 Life Points, increase Harlequin's Attack to 4000 for this attack!"

Bakura's look of surprise turned to shock as Harlequin cut through Mobiko with the crack of a bullwhip. Now he had no defense! And he had only 1475 Life Points.

Weevil drew his card and looked at it. Then he placed it on the field.

"Summon **Arsenal Bug **in Attack Mode (2000-2000). Then Special Summon **Pinch Hopper **in Attack Mode from Deckmaster Position. Fuse **Pinch Hopper **with the **Flying Kamakiri # 2 **in my hand to create **Flying Kamakiri # 3** (2000-1900)."

Bakura cursed as he realized what Weevil was attempting. With two monsters, he could attack twice and Bakura could only prevent one attack. However, it left Weevil with a 50% chance of losing, if he picked the possessed monster. If he guessed right though, that was the end of Bakura.

"**Flying Kamakiri # 3**, attack directly!"

Bakura crowed with triumph.

"Yes! Ha ha ha! Activate _Resentment Spirit Counterattack_!" called Bakura maliciously. The vicious armoured bug halted its assault, and Bakura's Life Points rose to 2475. Weevil's Life Points dropped to 0, but, just before his holograms faded, he activated a final card from his hand.

"Activate Quickplay Spell, **Desperate Times**! Revive **Clown of Yamimakai **to Panik's field, then end duel."

Weevil's body began to shake and writhe, jittering about. Suddenly it slumped to the ground, and a beam of yellow light flew from his body into the BattleDome. Bakura realized what had happened. Legion had claimed his soul.

"Seems it's just us now Panik. Getting scared?" Bakura taunted. Panik stared blankly at him. Bakura sighed. He drew his card and glanced at it. He activated it casually.

"**Pot of Greed**. Draw 2 cards. Oh excellent. Now I'll summon **Archfiend Soldier** (1900-1500)! Now, destroy Harlequin the Clown!"

The vicious fiend hefted up his unholy blade and charged towards Harlequin, the clown with the baggy blue pants. Panik tapped the huge scaly beast beside him, his DeckMaster, **King of Yamimakai**.

"Pay 1500 Life Points to activate DeckMaster Effect, _Shadow Reclamation_. The attack is negated," declared Panik, as his Life Points fell to 3325.

Bakura glanced at his other card and decided to play it.

"Activate **Spirit Replication. **Using this card, I can multiply **Harlequin the Clown **into 10. Since all are from that one monster, by picking it with Dark Sanctuary, I would select all as viable targets for it's counterattack. Just as a friendly warning. Now, I'll sacrifice **Archfiend Soldier** to retain **Dark Sanctuary**, and then I'll end my turn, discarding 11 cards in the process."

Panik's glazed eyes turned towards his deck as he pulled another card from his deck. He couldn't attack with Harlequin, but then again, he didn't need to.

"Special Summon **King of Yamimakai** (2000-1530) in Attack mode from DeckMaster Position. Now, attack directly with **Clown of Yamimakai**. You are left with 25 Life Points."

Bakura narrowed his eyes as the attack went through. He'd picked Harlequin as his target, in order to prevent it from wiping out his life points, so Dark Sanctuary would not be able to prevent the attack of **King of Yamimakai**. He had only one option.

"Special Summon **Dark Necrofear **from my DeckMaster Position by removing **Headless Knight**, **Archfiend Soldier **and **Dark Necrofear**! While Dark Sanctuary fades, you can't attack me because of how strong my **Dark Necrofear **is. And I'll kill it next turn, leaving you with no deckmaster and no soul. How do you like that, Panik?" threatened Bakura furiously. These two pathetic wimps had tested his skills far more greatly than he'd imagined they would.

"End turn. Discard 12 cards." Panik now had about 15 cards left in his deck. Bakura, who ran a small deck in order to establish his strategies, had only 7.

"Draw and activate **Painful Choice**! Now, do you let me keep **Smithfiend, Smithfiend, Smithfiend, Tomb of Poor Quality** or **Dark Recoup**?"

Panik studied the cards with only mild interest.

"**Smithfiend**. All others are discarded."

Bakura smirked. Well, now he had Panik. There was to be no escape for him.

"I'll summon **Smithfiend** (1850-750). And his effect lets me take an Equipment Spell from my deck when I summon him. So now I'll take my last card, **Sword of Hell's Flame**, and equip it to **Smithfiend**! It increases his Atk to 2350!"

Bakura smirked. Now all he had to do was attack the **King of Yamimakai** and it was over.

"**Smithfiend**, attack the **King of Yamimakai**!"

"Activate _Shadow Reclamation. _The attack is negated." Panik activated the DeckMaster effect as Bakura's demon, clad in chain mail and with a sword of white flames, charged towards his beast. Shadows leapt from the ground, forming an impenetrable black wall around the king. Reluctantly, Bakura's fiend loped away.

"Alright then, **Dark Necrofear**, attack!"

"Again, activate _Shadow Reclamation_." Panik's Life Points fell to 325.

"Yes, now I've got you! I wasn't sure if your deckmaster effect would be able to prevent what I'm about to do, so I had to force you to use all your Life Points defending your Deckmaster!"

Bakura swung his hand out towards his **Smithfiend**.

"Now I'll activate the effect of **Sword of Hell's Flame**! By removing it and its equipped monster from the game, I can do Life Points of damage to you based on what's in our graveyards. 250 Life Points of damage for each Dark monster or Fiend in either graveyard. Those monsters are removed from our graveyards to do a grand total of…"

Bakura watched as dark spirits poured from both DuelDisks, into the glowing white blade. As the last one entered it, it gave an unearthly scream and Bakura chuckled.

"Ah, excellent. 9750 Life Points of Damage. Goodnight Panik."

Bakura laughed hysterically as white flames blasted from the blade and enveloped Panik, causing him to scream and shriek madly. It seemed not even Legion's mind control could hold back Panik's fear of fire.

As the holograms faded, Bakura felt himself being sucked into darkness. When his sight returned, he was in a darkened room, with a huge black knight towering over him.

"Greetings Ryou Bakura. You have done well. You have passed my test. Here are your two pieces of Exodia, along with your Prize cards. You are now qualified for the finals."

Bakura snatched the cards from Legion and turned towards the door of the room. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, however, he was halted by Legion's icy laugh.

"Going somewhere? But we haven't even talked about what I wanted to tell you."

Bakura snarled. This didn't feel right.

"I don't give a damn about you and your schemes, whoever you are!"

Legion inclined his head slightly. Of course, how rude of him not to introduce himself.

"I am Thomas Harris, founder of this tournament. And you are Ryou Bakura. Or so it may seem."

Bakura froze at this. What did that loony know?

"You are in fact, not Ryou Bakura, but pretend to be him to keep people guessing. You are in fact, an evil and malevolent spirit, the world's greatest thief."

Bakura turned back to him and growled. Then he pointed his finger at Legion and yelled.

"I'm not like that anymore, but if you're going to push it, for the love of Ra, I will gladly make an exception to my new lifestyle!"

"Oh dear, touchy touchy." Legion smirked. Now, it was time to rope him in.

"You really should learn to control your temper, _Ba-Khu-Ra Aten-Suht_."

"Gahhh!" Bakura fell to the ground in pain as his mind's door swung open, flooding him with all the evil intentions he'd once had. Legion had found the key to releasing bakura's evil again. As Bakura writhed on the floor, Legion bent down and examined him.

"Oh yes, you will make a fine comrade. When you finally come round, you will do everything I ask of you, simply because you're so _damn evil_!"

Legion began to laugh again, his voice booming in the echoing room. He was pleased. Bakura began to smirk widely. He was pleased as well.


	18. Last of the First AKA Monster Deep and T...

Okay, just some notes about this chapter. The deck that Rex uses in this duel was designed by Alan Wilkinson, so props to him. Also, some of the cards have been modified for this duel, so don't point out any apparent card effect mistakes, please. Other than that, enjoy.

** Tournament of the Millennium! **

Chapter 18: Last of the First – Monsters Deep and Tall 

"Hey guys, how'd ya sleep?" Joey burst into the lobby of the hotel looking very energized. He'd had a great night's sleep and was eager to go. Round 2 beckoned!

Yugi looked almost as excited, however, he was doing a better job of keeping it under control. He was wrapping up a duel with Mai, who seemed crestfallen. Apparently, she'd lost.

"We're great! I slept like a log! And now I've had my warm-up, I'm ready to duel seriously!" Yugi chirped happily as he slid his deck into his dueldisk. Mai grinned as she prepared her deck as well.

"Those chumps won't know what hit them when I get there!" Mai declared proudly. 

As most of the gang chattered happily, Ryou struggled into the room, holding his head tightly. He felt like a bomb had been set off in his mind. And to make matters worse, his Yami wasn't in a very good mood. All his answers to Ryou's questions had been abrupt, rude and uninformative. The only thing he'd said of any interest had been that Ryou was to address him as Ba-Khu-Ra.

Ryou slumped into a chair and massaged his temples gently. He groaned when someone started to yell above the general level of noise in the room. It was too early for loud noises. He opened his eyes and glared at Grandpa, who was the culprit.

"Attention everyone! Pay attention. I have a message for you Yugi. And you Joey, and Mai and Ryou as well. I have been informed that we, the Millennium Duelists, have been challenged to a clan feud against the Duelist Traps!" Grandpa seemed very excited by his announcement. Everyone else just looked confused.

"Um Grandpa? Can you explain that just a little better?" Yugi piped up.

"Two weeks ago, I registered us, along with Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, as a dueling clan. Due to the rankings of the duelists within our clan, we are ranked 2nd in the world clan ladder! We would have been number one, but Mokuba's unranked percentage lowered our overall ranking a bit. And now we've been challenged by the number one clan of duelists in the world, and also one of the largest, the Duelist Traps! Their best duelists are at this tournament, and they've challenged us!" Grandpa said breathlessly. Mai, Yugi and Ryou nodded in understanding, as did Tea. However, Tristen and Joey still seemed confused.

"Could you vague that up just a little more, Gramps?" Joey questioned sarcastically. He wasn't quite sure what a clan was, why he was in on, why they were being challenged, and most of all why Kaiba was there as well. Kaiba plus any team equaled bad. Grandpa ignored his question and pulled two cards from his pocket. He handed one to Yugi and one to Joey.

"These are for you. Mokuba told me to give them to you."

Yugi's mouth fell open slightly as he looked at his card, however, he silently slipped it into his deck. Joey looked at his card and his eyes narrowed.

"Hang on a moment. This is Hellmos. I remember this from when we…" Joey was cut off by Yugi, who elbowed him, and pointed to a group of people sitting nearby.

"No one apart from the people here, Kaiba, Mokuba and the Doma Warriors know what they are, so just keep quiet."

"Aw, c'mon Yugi! Don't you wonder why we've got them? I mean, these are really weird cards. And… don't look at me like that. Those people don't even understand Japanese. Look at em. They sound American to me." Joey pointed out, but dutifully slipped the Claw of Hellmos into his deck.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" Yugi stressed. "Let's just go and see what these Duelist Traps are like."

Grandpa looked very happy with this sentiment.

"Oh yes, let's go! Then, when you beat the Duelist Traps, we'll get a clan elimination reward, and I can buy that new home entertainment system I've had my eye on."

Yugi frowned. So that was what Grandpa's plans were. Yugi had already expressly told him that any prize money won would not be going to home entertainment systems. Seems Grandpa wasn't to be kept from his television so easily. However, Yugi resolved to bring it up with Grandpa later, and get the Duelist Traps sorted first.

"So what's this challenge all about Gramps?" Yugi asked curiously.

"We have to go to the BattleDome and there we'll be met by the Duelist Traps at 11:00. Until then, our time is free."

Yugi tapped his finger against his chin and pondered what to do. Since he'd done all his duels, there was no reason to search out any duelists to duel. But maybe he could catch some exciting duels in action.

"I'm gonna go to the BattleDome and watch some of the duels there while I wait. A lot of people were hanging around there yesterday, so I guess it's a popular spot. Especially since Round 2 takes place entirely within the BattleDome, so any duelists nearby won't have to waste time in transit if they qualify." Yugi explained his reasoning to the rest of the gang, who nodded in mutual agreement.

"Boring! Who wants to watch the chumps duel? I'm going shopping. This city has a great fashion district!" declared Mai as she stood to leave. There were only 2 hours until they had to face the DTs. No point in wasting shopping time.

"Can I come with you, Mai? I'd like to check out the fashions down this part of the world." Tea picked up her handbag and followed Mai out towards the taxi depot once Mai had nodded her consent.

Joey and Tristen seemed to be planning a trip to the BattleDome as well, for trading purposes though. And Grandpa was going to visit a friend he had in Sydney, whom he hadn't seen for many a year. Yugi was starting to think he'd have to go watch the duels alone when Ryou offered to go with him. Glad of some company, Yugi accepted the offer.

Joey, Yugi, Ryou and Tristen headed out to grab a taxi to the BattleDome, where they would go their separate ways. After a few minutes waiting, they managed to find a cab and jumped in. They were off!

--------------

"Hey Yugi, looks like a duel's about to start already!" Ryou grabbed Yugi's shoulder and pointed to some very familiar characters. Joey pulled his head from the cab window, where he'd been arguing about the fare. He hadn't been getting very far though. The driver didn't speak Japanese. When Joey shot a look at the duelists, his face stretched into an excited grin and he pointed to them, smacking Yugi in the back of the head as he did so.

"Check it out! Mako an Rex are gonna go at it! Forget trading, I gotta see this! Oh man, Rex is gonna go down!" Joey charged off towards the duel, followed swiftly by the others.

Joey shoved through the crowd and burst out in the front line of spectators, where Rex and Mako were eying each other cautiously. Rex and Mako were both clothed in their traditional gear, Rex with his beanie and green jacket, Mako with his blue vest and shorts. They seemed to have only reached the stage of choosing DeckMasters and swapping insults, so Joey, Yugi, Ryou and Tristen didn't seem to have missed anything.

"I shall choose the wonderful **Poseidon's Handmaiden** as my DeckMaster, to transform my field into a permanent **Umi** field card," Mako declared proudly. As his aquatic mistress appeared, the field became covered in water. Rex didn't seem to be overly concerned by this.

"Oh yeah? Well I choose **Hungry Uraby**, my tournament prize card, my deckmaster. Based on his effect, I think your little fishies are doomed to become extinct."

As Rex taunted Mako, a growling brown raptor appeared on the field, and slashed at the air furiously.

"I'll start, fishboy. I draw and play **Tomozaurus **(500-400) in Defense Mode. And now I'll play this card facedown and end my turn." Rex laughed confidently, his gravelly voice resonating within the dueling arena they were playing at. Joey seemed suspicious of Rex's play.

"Weird. Ol' Dino Breath doesn't seem to be running his big monsters anymore. I mean, he once told me you should never play defense your first turn, but he's doing it!"

"I think he has something planned for that dinosaur Joey," Ryou muttered softly.

Mako drew his card and set it with supreme confidence.

"Now I'll summon **Flying Fish** (800-500) in Attack Mode, set one card and destroy your **Tomozaurus**. Naught can stand to the force of the ocean!" Mako placed his hands on his hips and laughed as his fish appeared and flapped its fins. It flew over the ankle-deep water and dived at Rex's card. However, Rex had a trick up his sleeve.

"Activate **Restriction Map B**! Now all Level 4 or higher monsters are permanently shifted to Defense Mode! So your attack is prevented."

Rex looked highly pleased with himself as he drew his card and smirked.

"I'll summon **Godzuki** (0-0) in Defense Mode. Now, I'll shift **Tomozaurus** to Attack Mode and attack your **Flying Fish**!" commanded Rex boldly. Tristen and Joey seemed confused by Rex's play.

"Hang on a moment. There's something fishy going on here. Why'd Rex attack if the fish has a defense equal to his monster's Attack?" Tristen questioned with bemusement.

"Just a hunch, but I think we're about to see the DeckMaster effect of **Hungry Uraby**," stated Ryou calmly. He watched as the small red dinosaur caught the fish by the throat, threw it into the air and the raptor behind Rex leapt forward, caught it in its jaws and tore it apart. Mako looked shocked.

"Heh. My **Hungry Uraby** allows my monsters to destroy any Fish, Insect or Winged Beast they battle with," explained Rex calmly. Yugi seemed impressed.

"Interesting. Rex seems to have finally developed some kind of strategy. Who would've thought?" wondered Yugi out loud. Joey agreed readily.

Mako scowled and drew his card, then calmly placed it on the field.

"I'll set one monster facedown, along with two Trap cards. End turn."

Rex glanced warily at the new cards on the field, then drew his card and played it.

"Activate **Dino's Scale Duster**. If I have a Dinosaur on the field, I can destroy 2 Traps on the field. So say goodbye to your cards. Now I'll play **Eye for an Eye**! This card lets me destroy any number of my cards on the field and you must destroy a respective amount."

Rex discarded his **Restriction Map B**, forcing Mako to destroy his remaining facedown Spell-Trap card. That left Mako's monster unprotected.

"Wow, I didn't think Rex could even spell respective, what with his tiny dino brain," quipped Joey, moderately impressed with Rex's performance.

"Now I'll sacrifice **Godzuki** to Tribute Summon **Dark Driceratops **(2400-1200)! When this destroys a Defense Mode monster, the difference in points is done to your Life Points!" called Rex energetically. Mako's monster flipped up to reveal a curious-looking fish with glowing red eyes.

"Oh no, but **Souleater** has 0 Defense! So that must mean I take 2400 Life Points of Damage!" stressed Mako. Rex nodded affirmatively and grinned as a large dinosaur with a bird-like face emerged and charged at the small fish. Mako looked worried as his life points dropped to **5600**.

"Excellent, you have no monsters on the field, so **Tomozaurus **could attack directly. Or I could use its evolution ability." Rex smirked as his dinosaur began to grow and turn green. Its scales toughened, and a metallic eyepiece metamorphosed around its face. On its left arm, metal began to grow and warp until it had turned into a laser cannon.

"Behold, **Cyber Saurus** (1800-1400)! Now, **Cyber Saurus**, attack directly!" called Rex confidently. It hefted it's arm and took aim, then a swarm of small laser bolts, like needles, rained down onto Mako's body. Mako winced as he was pummeled and his life points dropped again to **3800**. It didn't look promising.

Joey was gaping at Rex's display of power and tactics, and he made it very obvious.

"No way! Check out the bronto bully! He's whooping Mako, and even I had trouble with Mako," Joey declared in an authorative tone of voice.

"And the fact you had trouble with Mako means what, exactly?" replied Tristen dryly. He wasn't that interested in this duel, since none of his friends were playing, and he wanted to trade some cards and improve his deck.

"I'mma gonna go and trade some sweet cards. Catch you guys," called Tristen to the others as he turned and struggled against the crowd to get out.

Ryou, Yugi and Joey shrugged and turned back to watch what Mako was about to do.

"Nice play, my friend. This has been an incredible duel so far. But now I must turn the tide in my favour. I set one card. And now…" Mako confidently pulled a card from his hand and played it.

"I'll summon **Lekunga** (1700-1500) in Attack Mode and now I'll remove the two Water monsters in my Graveyard from the game to Special Summon a **Lekunga Token** in Attack Mode (700-700)!" instructed Mako calmly. In front of him, a plant with creeping tentacles appeared and dunked some of its tentacles into the water. From the water sprouted another, smaller, tentacle plant. He glanced at the card in his hand and smiled. Now was the time to play it.

"I'll activate **Sunken Treasures**. I may draw a number of cards equal to the number of cards on the field." Mako drew five cards and when he saw the last one, his grin turned complacent. When he glanced up at Rex, he appeared supremely confident.

"I have drawn my ultimate monster. While not strong, it has great significance to me, and always makes me strong when I duel. So now I shall place it onto the field, so everyone else may see the source of my strength."

Joey had the feeling he knew what card it was Mako was talking about, and so did Yugi. Both of them had seen only one card that evoked such sentiment from Mako.

"I activate **Big Waves, Little Waves** to destroy my two water monsters in order to Special Summon up to 2 Water Monsters from my hand. So I shall summon **The Legendary Fisherman **(1850-1600) and **Levia-Dragon Daedelus **(2600-1500) in Attack Mode!" called Mako triumphantly. In front of him, a tanned and muscle-bound man atop a dolphin burst from the water's surface, waving a deadly harpoon. However, it immediately dived back into the water.

Also, a huge sea serpent reared out of the water, swinging it's head and screeching viciously. It roared again and pounced on the terrified Driceratops. It ripped it in half in one bite, reducing Rex's Life Points to **7800**. Almost as suddenly, and definitely catching Rex by surprise, the harpoon of the Legendary Fisherman flew from a spot in the water, spearing the **Cyber Saurus** and splashing back into the water.

Joey jumped in the air and pumped his fist happily.

"Yeah! Go Mako! Go Mako!" Joey began to dance wildly, but almost fell over as someone pushed him from behind. He swung around angrily and swung his fist up in front of the offender's face.

"Damn it Tristen, I was this close to pounding you," he yelled angrily, enraged by the smug look on his friend's face.

"Then don't dance so badly."

"Hang on a minute, Tris. I thought you went to trade some cards?"

Tristen rubbed the back of his head and smiled in an embarrassed fashion.

"Wouldn't you know, the crowd's too thick for me to get out. I gotta wait till the duel's finished. Pretty intense though."

Joey nodded his silent agreement and turned back to watch the duel. Rex seemed to be twitching slightly. Mako had set one card and ended his turn, and it didn't seem like Rex had anything to defend with.

"No, my dinosaurs! They're extinct!" yowled Rex melodramatically. However, it was a pretty bad turn of events. Mako drew his card calmly and placed it on the field.

"I'll sacrifice **Levia-Dragon Daedelus** to summon **Great Leviathan: Kairyuu-Shin** (2000-1500)!" announced Mako steadily. "Now it summons a great tidal wave, with which to destroy a number of your Monster Zones!" called Mako as the great red seasnake burst out of the water, sending a great wave of it rolling towards Rex. It splashed over him and, although the number of affected Monster Zones couldn't be seen due to **Umi**, Rex saw with a sinking feeling that four of his Monster Zones were now unusable.

"Next I play **Monster Reborn** to recall my **Levia-Dragon Daedelus**. Now, my aquatic lords, attack Rex directly!" shouted Mako brashly. All three monsters bored down on Rex, and ripped 6450 Life Points from him, leaving him with **1300 **Life Points. Rex moaned desperately.

"Ah no, it can't be! I can't lose this, not with my ancient behemoths!"

Rex desperately drew his card and activated it immediately.

"I'll play **Amber Revival**. I shuffle my deck and draw a card. If it's a Dinosaur, I get to Special Summon it!"

Rex shakily drew the top card of his deck, glanced at it nervously, and then smirked. He slapped it down onto the field.

"I'll summon **Tomozaurus **in Attack Mode and set one card facedown, then I'll end my turn." Rex folded his arms and motioned for Mako to draw. Yugi looked worried.

"That's gotta be a major trap card. No way would he be so happy about drawing such a weak monster unless he had a plan."

Mako drew his card and looked at it, then confidently played it on the field.

"I'll activate **Polymerization** to fuse all three of my monsters together to summon the **Legendary Leviathan Daedelus** (3850-2950)!" shouted Mako dramatically. The duel was his.

In front of Mako, the water began to swirl and whirl, until it had formed a vortex that sucked the three monsters in. Then, after a moment's peace, the water burst upwards in a boiling rage, into a huge waterspout. From the waterspout rushed an absolutely enourmous snake, big enough to almost rival Slifer the Sky Dragon in size. Its full height was revealed momentarily as the waterspout reached higher and higher, stretching a full 250 metres at the very least. Then it slammed back down to earth and the bulk of it disappeared back into the water.

The crowd around Mako cringed and shrieked as the huge monster burst forth, such was it's realism, but Rex didn't even bat an eyelid. However, Mako didn't seem to notice this.

"Ha ha ha! This is the means to your defeat! Let me explain. While **Umi** is on the field this monster cannot be destroyed, nor can it be affected by any effect in the entire game. Basically, while **Umi **is on the field, it's invulnerable. And due to my DeckMaster, **Umi **is always on the field. So you can't beat it." Rex seemed to be slightly concerned by this statement, and Yugi and co was suitably impressed.

"Wow, what a play, hey Yugi?" cheered Ryou as he watched the duel with increased passion.

"Now, attack with **Deepest Wave of Oceana**!" shouted Mako confidently. Since Rex's facedown card couldn't affect his monster, he had nothing to worry about. He was going to win. In front of Mako, the water swept forward in one huge, solid mass. It didn't curve down, or break. It was literally a wall of water, 50 metres high. Behind it, all the water was drained away, revealing shells and wrecked boats on the ocean-bed.

"Hah, activate **Multiply**!" shouted Rex just as the wave was about to crash over him. The small red dinosaur replicated into hundreds and locked together as the wave slammed into them. The first set of dinosaurs burst instantly, such was the pressure that rocketed onto them, however, and the dinosaurs were regenerating more quickly than the wave could force them aside. Eventually the tidal wave subsided, leaving a dry and smug-looking Rex standing confidently, surrounded by an army of dinosaurs.

"My turn. I draw and now," Rex snickered as he looked at his card, "time for you to become extinct, Squidbrain." Rex grabbed one card from his hand and placed it onto the field.

"Activate **Jurassic Park**! This field spell has many abilities, but I really don't care about any of them. I just played it so I could activate this," Rex slid another card into his DuelDisk.

"Activate **Burning Lands**. This lets me destroy 1 Field Spell, then I may equip it to one monster. For one attack afterwards, that monster can attack directly."

In front of Rex, his raptor leapt into the air and unleashed a torrent of flames at a huge gate that had risen from the water, instantly withering the vines that ensnarled it. Then all of the many hundreds of raptors tilted their heads towards Mako and opened their mouths. There were little balls of fire in each one.

"Oh man! Infinite direct attacks! Looks like Rex's got this one in the bag!" shouted Joey excitedly. It was such an incredible duel; he didn't know who to cheer for.

"Now, **Tomozaurus**, infinite fireballs direct attack!" commanded Rex sternly.

"Noooo! My mighty beast cannot save me! Defeated again!" Mako fell to his knees and stared at the incoming wall of flames. Just before they hit him, Mako whispered something inaudible. "Thank you father, for getting me this far."

--------------------------------

Yugi, Joey and Ryou walked over to the two duelists to console and congratulate them, while Tristen rushed off to get cards. The five duelists who were now qualified for round 2 went to get milkshakes, and Rex, feeling elated over his unexpected win, even offered to buy Mako one. However, Mako politely declined and walked away, his honour still intact, since everyone admitted it was a hard-fought duel.

The duelists chatted for a while, until Rex decided to ask them something.

"Hey guys. Do you know where Mai is?" he questioned inquisitively.

"Sure. She's gonna meet us at eleven," replied Joey from around a mouthful of burger. Since he'd been reminded of the time, Ryou glanced at his watch. Then he scooped up his dueldisk and started to jog backwards away from the table.

"Um guys, we gotta be there in two minutes. See you there." With that, Ryou swung round and jolted. Yugi and Joey glanced at each other, then dropped their food and chased after him. Rex was left sitting there dumbly. They hadn't even told him where they were meeting Mai. A waitress tapping on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts.

"Excuse me, sir, but this is the bill." She waited for Rex to pay. Rex glanced down at the bill and paled. The food had been expensive. Joey had been eating. That meant… the bill would be phenomenal. He stared at the total and gulped.

"Um… I don't have this much money. The people I was eating with bolted."

"Well sir, that means that only one thing can be done."

Rex sighed, reached into his backpack and pulled an apron from it. He tied it round his waist.

"Okay then. Where are the kitchens?" he sighed with resignation. The waitress pointed down the hallway. Mumbling curses, Rex headed for the kitchen.


	19. Meetings and Matchups

**---Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium! ---**

**_Chapter 19: Meetings and Match-Ups_**

"C'mon Yugi! We won't get there in time if we don't hurry!"

Joey raced through the BattleDome, eager to reach the meeting point where they would go up against the clan of the Duelist Traps. He rounded the corner of a corridor and skidded to a stop in front of a large group of people. Ryou was there as well, looking slightly puffed. Joey was about to speak to the group when someone, an unknown duelist, held his hand up to hush him. Every corridor had LCD screens broadcasting duels, but all the screens in the Dome had become static. Yugi rounded the corner too and looked at everyone questioningly.

"Hey. What's up-"

Yugi was cut off as the screens crackled to life. On each screen was the man they'd seen yesterday, at the start of the tournament.

"Welcome Duelists, and congratulations to all who have made it to Round 2. This transmission will relay to you the rules of Round 2, and also some news, both good and bad."

Yugi stared harder at the screen, watching for any suspicious behaviour by the as-of-yet unspecified person.

"First the bad news. Unfortunately, due to fears of flooding the current world metagame, the Exodia pieces earned during the first round will be banned in official play. This is not to say that they can't be used in casual play, and this does not lower the collector value of such cards, but that is the reason that they will not be officiated."

Several of the duelists in the group seemed to be disgruntled by this news, but then the man began to speak again and all fell quiet.

"Now, the good news. All duelists qualified for Round 2 will receive a rare card especially chosen to suit them. To receive this card, simply go to the nearest auto-card vendor, located throughout the BattleDome, and insert your Duelist Recorder module attached to the DuelDisk. The card will be ejected into your possession."

Yugi lightened at this. It was always fun to receive new cards.

"Now. The rules for Round 2. In this round, there is no specified amount of duels required to qualify for the finals. The way to qualify for the finals is to tally up 24000 Life Points of damage. Every duel you partake in, every Life Point your opponent loses, is added to your tally. When you total 24000 Life Points of Damage, you become qualified for the finals, but only if you are one of the first eight. Apart from that, all normal rules apply. Let Round 2 begin!"

The screen flickered and switched back to the duel it had been broadcasting. Yugi turned to face the crowd of people. Everyone he knew was there, Joey and Tristen chatting with some girls, Mai and another young woman in discussion, Teá and Grandpa talking with some of the others, and Mokuba was trying to catch the eye of an Egyptian teenager. Bakura seemed to be having a staring competition with another youth with greasy white dreadlocks. Seto was standing slightly aside from the group, and seemed to be in some kind of conversation with a boy only Yugi's age and a young man who seemed chillingly familiar to Yugi, who exuded an aura of confidence. These were the Duelist Traps.

Suddenly, the boy Seto had been talking with clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all in the corridor. This gave Yugi a chance to study him more deeply.

The boy was about the same height as Joey, and had raven-black hair that was artistically swept back into spikes. His swept-back hair seemed to make his eyes, a deep hazel colour, ominous and foreboding. He wore blackslacks and a worn cotton jacket, Old Navy. It was zipped almost to the top, so Yugi could only see the tops of three letters on the shirt. They were 'LTO'. The boy seemed to radiate assurance, and all in all, Yugi thought he looked rather the skilled duelist. When he spoke, his voice was calm and collected, and everyone listened intently, save Bakura and Seto.

"Alright. Since your entire clan is here now, let's get those new cards, and then we'll begin the Clan War. Duelist Traps, move out!" commanded the boy, and all the others started to move straight away, except the other man Seto had been conversing with.

'_Whoa. This guy just screams power, Yami. I bet he'll be really tough.'_

'_**No doubt. But let's face that hurdle when we get to it.'**_

Yugi hurried after the boy, and caught him as he made to move out of the door.

"Hey, I'm Yugi Moto. Nice to meet you," he offered his hand in a friendly manner. The boy took up his offer warmly and shook Yugi's hand firmly.

"Zeak. I look forward to playing against you, assuming your clan can make it past our team."

Zeak turned and walked through the door, eager to receive his new card. Yugi followed and then hooked his Duelist Recorder to one of the vending machines scattered liberally around the Dome. When his card was ejected, Yugi studied it for a moment and, satisfied, he snapped it into his deck. He turned to see Seto standing in front of everyone else.

"Everyone. Let's proceed to a Dueling Area. Then we can organize who fights who." Kaiba turned around, his black trench coat sweeping out behind him. He walked at a fast pace, and then swung open a door to entire a silvery Dueling Area. Zeak jumped up onto one of the Dueling platforms and cleared his throat.

"Okay, time for introductions! Michael, step forward!"

A young man, about 18, stepped from the crowd. He was one of the two Teá and Grandpa had been speaking to. He had close cropped tan hair, and piercing blue eyes. He was deeply tanned, and his body was well-built, with well-defined muscles rippling beneath his skin. He wore only blue and white board shorts, and a black open front cargo vest.

"Who wants to challenge Michael?" questioned Zeak. With Michael's physique, Zeak had two prime targets. Mai, being lured to the chiseled body, or Joey, who seemed eager to catch Mai's eye, which had been drifting towards Michael ever since she'd first laid eyes on him. Either way, Zeak didn't think they'd fare very well. As he'd guessed, Mai immediately stepped forward.

"I'll challenge him. This guy looks like he'll be an easy target." As soon as Mai volunteered, Joey began to fume. He jumped forward and pointed at Michael furiously.

"I'll challenge you as well, ya great lunk! C'mon!" yelled Joey passionately. Michael looked up to Zeak, who inclined his head slightly in Joey's direction. Michael turned back to the group.

"I accept the challenge of… Mai Valentine! That loser looks too easy…" Michael declared firmly. Zeak nodded, but Joey seemed to disagree with Michael's choice.

"Ah, c'mon! Whadda ya, scared? Takin' on the lady cause ya think she's easy pickin's?" roared Joey furiously. Mai grabbed Joey's wrist and dragged him back.

"Look you, I'll do this myself, thank you very much!" she shouted in Joey's ear, which served to sober him up a little. He slinked back and the next of Zeak's duelists stepped forward. He was the boy with the lanky dreadlocks. He wore black cargoes, black sneakers and a plain black t-shirt that revealed scrawny, pale arms. His eyes were dark brown.

"Ah yes. Everyone, this is Kal. Kal is our resident occultist. Anyone wanna try their luck against him?" Zeak asked confidently. Bakura would accept that challenge.

"Heh, an occultist you say? Very well then, you sound like a good test of my skills. I'll hand you your head on a silver platter when we're done," Bakura taunted Kal, unimpressed by Kal's emaciated form. Zeak nodded and Kal stepped aside, to where Michael was.

"Okay then… how about… Ashley," Zeak pointed to a younger girl, who had curly locks of strawberry-blonde hair. Yugi had to guess she was about 13. Her eyes were emerald, and she wore a pair of denim jeans and a pink t-shirt with 'Stargirl' written across it in red.

"Who wants to duel my sister?" Zeak asked of Yugi's group. He knew who she wanted to duel. She had a major crush on Joey, had since she was 11.

"Can I pick? Can I? Please please please?" Ashley pointed to Joey.

"Him! Joey Wheeler!"

Joey waved his hands frantically. He'd been hoping to get a duel against the lady Mai had been chatting with, who was a blonde bombshell in Joey's opinion.

"Ah, c'mon! You don't wanna duel me! How bout… Yugi! He's more your size!' Joey reached for Yugi, but changed course abruptly, grabbing hold of Mokuba.

"Even better, Mokuba Kaiba! He'd be more your type of duelist!" rushed Joey. Ashley pouted, but relented.

"Alright, Joey, but only cause you asked me. But if I do, you have to spend a day with me after the tournament!" Ashley put forward her ultimatum.

Joey only considered it for a fraction of a second. Once the duels had finished, he could just disappear. Yeah, that was what he'd do. Just disappear. It would be wrong to lead a 13 year old on a false path.

"Fine, fine, fine, okay!" Joey pushed Mokuba forward. Seto's face looked slightly sour, but he let it be. Mokuba didn't want to though.

"Hey, don't I get a say? I wanna have a rematch with Clee!" protested Mokuba vehemently. Clee smiled and patted his arm.

"Don't bother, Moki. I didn't collect the pieces fast enough. I'm just here to cheer."

Mokuba sighed and grumbled, 'Fine. I'll duel her." Clee smiled at him and rejoined the main group.

Next, the blonde woman Joey had been admiring stepped forward. Now that Joey could see her better, he realized that she was actually probably younger than himself, but not by much. Somewhere between 15 and 16. It was the clothes that had made her seem older. Lots of tight leather.

"This is Cristina. She's an amazingly skilled duelist. Who wants to duel her?"

Yugi and Joey both stepped forward. If she was such a good duelist, Yugi wanted a match against her. Cristina studied them and laughed.

"Not the short one, that's for sure!" declared Cristina surely. Yugi's gaze turned stormy and he was about to say something when the final challenger stepped forward.

"So, I guess I'm playing against Yugi, huh? Fair enough. Name's Dale."

The boy who had spoken looked about 14 years old, with pale purple hair that fell around his face, framing his emerald eyes. He wore loose cotton pants the same colour as his eyes, and a plain white t-shirt, over which flapped a pale blue Hawaiian shirt. Overall, he had a very calm, relaxed aura. Still, Yugi felt uneasy about him. There was something veiled behind his eyes, something that wasn't quite right. Still, Yugi supposed he'd discover what was up when he dueled Dale.

Zeak cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, and all in the area turned to face him.

"Now, it is time to let the clan war begin! First challengers, step up!" declared Zeak commandingly. Bakura and Kal both seemed slightly confused. It seemed that they would be dueling in a hallway. Smirking, Zeak nodded to the man he'd been talking to. The man had fine silvery hair that was cut short and swept back into a careful comb-over. The man wore a semi-casual black affair, and radiated confidence. He tapped a panel on the wall and suddenly lights began to flash in the hall way. Sections of the floor began to withdraw and rearrange, the section that Bakura and Kal were standing in raising itself above the rest of the hallway. The surrounding area raised itself as well, but separated from the Dueling Platform, and below it more flooring rose up. TV panels all over the outer viewing platform crackled into life, depicting Bakura and Kal.

Yugi and his friends stared in awe at the Dueling Platform, as did most of the Duelist Traps. Kaiba seemed mildly impressed too.

"Okay, same ante rules as round one guys. Bet your cards!"

Bakura shuffled through his deck and held one up. It depicted a familiar golden sphere.

"I will place my Millennium Eye card on the line. Not that it will be at any risk."

"Then I'll bet my Masked Beast and its ritual. Seems fair to me." The boy's voice was raspy and hoarse, and sent shivers up Yugi's back. Bakura wasn't impressed.

"Just choose your DeckMaster and be done with it," demanded Bakura calmly. Kal's upper lip twisted into the slightest smirk, before he placed a card into his DeckMaster slot. Behind him, a huge, demonic figure with curling horns and a wide, armoured chest appeared.

"I choose Dark Ruler Ha Des. Your choice, Ryou Bakura?"

Bakura selected a monster at random from his deck. It didn't worry him overly much which DeckMaster he used.

"I choose… hmm, Diabound it seems. Very well." Bakura seemed pleased with his choice. His DuelDisk whirred and then a grey beast with the upper body of a human, and a writhing snake's body below the waist, made itself known to all.

Bakura smirked and motioned for Kal to make the first move, looking very bored.

Kal scowled and picked one card from his hand.

"**Grand Tiki Elder **(1500/800), Attack Mode. End Turn." Kal seemed to want to speak as little as possible, preferring to just look eerie.

Bakura laughed as he drew his cards and placed one on the field. He was supremely confident of victory in this match. His deck was packed with strong cards.

"Not much of an opening move. Are you scared? Because you should be. I don't think a duelist of your caliber could even hope to last against my shadows. Now, **Demon of Desire **(1950/0) in Attack Mode! Kill that little vermin!"

From Bakura's DuelDisk a green-skinned, many horned creature adorned with gold, jewels and platinum, and rippling with muscles, leapt forward at the strange mask-wearing creature in front of it. It tore away the mask and plunged clawed fingers into the being's eyes. Thick red blood spurted onto the floor, running messily. The creature howled and vanished. Kal's Life Points dropped to 7550, but he didn't seem to care. He simply stared at Bakura with his dead, glazed eyes.

Behind Bakura, he could hear Teá dry-retching and some of the other duelists complaining of the gore. He merely smirked and then ended his turn. He stared down Kal threateningly. The battle had begun…


	20. Occult Battle: Who is the Dark Ruler?

**---Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament of the Millennium! ---**

_**Chapter 20: Occult Battle – Who is the Dark Ruler?**_

Bakura smirked as he watched Kal draw his next card. As the situation stood, Kal had 7550 Life Points left, with no cards on the field, and a large horned demon known as the Dark Ruler Ha Des behind him. Bakura had a single green, many-horned demonic figure, the **Demon of Desire **(1950/0), crouching on the field, and his deckmaster, Diabound, hung back behind him, the snake snapping it's jaws shut every now and then.

Kal drew his card and calmly picked another from his hand, then set it on the field. Then he chose another card from his hand and played it. In front of him, a creaking coffin appeared, bloodstained and burnt.

"I summon **Hell Coffin **(1300/900) in Attack Mode and end my turn."

Joey nudged Yugi cautiously on the sidelines.

"Hey Yuge, whadda ya reckon? Is it a trap? Or is he bluffing?" Joey seemed nervous about this duel. Yugi seemed fairly calm about it though.

"Bakura's always been confident about his abilities. He's pretty careless about how he uses his Life Points. He'll attack, even if he suspects it's a trap," Yugi stated confidently. Joey seemed confused by the notion of running into an obvious trap, then shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the duel.

"I hope he knows what he's doing."

Bakura snorted as he drew his card. Playing a weaker monster like that could mean only one of 2 things; a trap, or a bluff.

"Well, it seems that you would play that card in Attack Mode for only 2 reasons. A) You're trying to lure me into a trap, or B) You're bluffing. Either way, I'm going to attack you. Your pathetic cards don't worry me."

Bakura took one monster from his hand and placed it onto his DuelDisk. In front of him, a toothed boomerang appeared and whirled about.

"I summon **Dokuroyaiba** (1000/400) in Attack Mode. Now, **Demon of Desire**, wipe out that box!" ordered Bakura viciously. Kal pressed a button on his DuelDisk and an ornate mask fixed itself onto the demon's face. It began to writhe and swipe wildly at the coffin, which creaked open and shards of bone sprayed out, ventilating the Demon of Desire. Blue blood trickled from the many wounds, before the demon shattered, dropping Bakura's Life Points to 7950.

"I activated **Mask of Weakness** to reduce it's ATK by 700, down to 1250. Now, is it my turn?" asked Kal dully. Bakura sneered and nodded. Kal took up his card and placed it on the field.

"I summon **Sangan **(1000/600) in Attack Mode and now, I summon my DeckMaster, Dark Ruler Ha Des (2450/1600) in Attack Mode!" called Kal, some emotion finally creeping into his voice. The crouching demon stood up and stomped over to Kal's side, then roared viciously. The other duelists seemed surprised by what Kal had just done.

"What's he doing? He's leaving his DeckMaster open to any form of counter attack. And if it gets destroyed, he'll lose!" Seto seemed taken aback by Kal's apparent foolishness.

"Now then, **Sangan**, attack **Dokuroyaiba** and kill it!"

The small orange-furred creature slashed it's claws out, scoring the boomerang along it's length, just as the boomerang's sides snapped shut, causing a leathal wound to Sangan. Both shattered at once.

"Now, because **Sangan** was sent to the Graveyard, I may now search my deck for a monster with under 1500 Attack, and place it in my hand," pointed out Kal. He flipped through his deck and took one card. He held it out for Bakura to see.

"I take **Shadow Tamer**. Now that that's taken care of, **Hell Coffin**, **Ha Des**, attack Bakura directly!" ordered Kal commandingly. Ha des leapt forward, followed by a hailstorm of bone shards. The Dark Ruler ripped through Bakura, and then Bakura howled in agony as the bone shards tore into his flesh and faded. Bakura gasped for air as his Life Points fell to 4200. Yugi and the gang looked concerned.

"Oh man! Look at that! Bakura just got slammed!" shouted Tristen unnecessarily. Teá seemed alarmed for Bakura, who had managed to struggle to his feet.

"Are you okay Bakura?" she cried. Seto snorted.

"Of course he is. Now let the buffoon play!"

Bakura shot a glare at Seto, before pulling the top card of his deck into his hand. He smirked and placed it facedown on the field.

"Next, I'll summon **Gurnia **(1300/1200), and I'll also play **Kishido Spirit**. This card means that when monsters of equal power Battle, mine will always survive. A useful card." Bakura then reached down and turned up the card in his DuelDisk.

"Now, I'll invoke the **Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler**! By offering 4 Levels of monsters on my field as a sacrifice, I can call back to life my powerful **Demon of Desire**! So now, I say goodbye to **Guria** and welcome back to my **Demon of Desire**," explained Bakura nastily.

On his duelfield, the purple figure of Gurnia was sucked into the ground, from which 4 strings of sinew burst. They were yanked upwards by an invisible force and the Demon of Desire followed, its face contorted in pain. The lines of sinew had been torn from the length of its arms and legs, leaving the strings to trail from its hands and feet.

Bakura grinned at the gruesome scene and then pulled another card from his hand. He placed it on the field and a smoky crystal materialized around the neck of Bakura's newly-revived demon.

"I activate **Black Pendant**! This equipment Spell boosts the power of my demon by 500, raising it, conveniently, to 2450. And it seems you have no cards to stop an attack against Ha Des. So this duel was even less of a challenge than I'd imagined. Now, attack, **Demon of Desire**!" ordered Bakura coldly. The sinew lines at its legs tugged forward, making it walk at a slow, jerky pace towards the Dark Ruler. The tendon line attached to the demon's right arm raised up, hefting the demon's arm up, and the claws scythed out. Then the line slackened, dropping the deadly claws right over the head of the demon's master, the Dark Ruler.

Ha Des blocked the attack by slamming his wrist into the forearm of the Demon of Desire, then raised his own spare hand. Out of it ripped claws at least twice as big as those on the **Demon of Desire**, but the demon didn't even react. Ha Des' claws burst out of its chest, ripping out the spinal column as the arm plowed through. The **Demon of Desire** gave a sigh of relief as it died, then shattered. Bakura's eyes widened involuntarily, and he shot an accusing look at Kal.

Kal laughed, flicking his dreadlocks back off his face, and then explained.

"Seems you've just discovered the DeckMaster effect of Dark Ruler Ha Des. By removing 2 fiends from my Graveyard, I can negate a card that would destroy Ha Des and destroy it instead." Kal smirked. Bakura didn't seem overly worried by this new piece of information, though.

"That poses no problem whatsoever. I'll simply make sure to not destroy any more of your fiends, until I get rid of that Dark Ruler. Now then…" Bakura picked a card from his hand and played it.

"I activate **Requisition of the Dead**. By discarding a card from my hand, I can search my deck for a Spell card and place it in my hand. However, you are allowed to take a Trap and place it in your hand also." Bakura smirked, watching Kal carefully. If Kal was going to try and protect his Dark Ruler, he'd surely pull an attack-halting trap, in case Bakura tried to pull something like he just had. And that was all part of Bakura's plan.

"I'll take **Exchange** and place it in my hand. Now, I'll activate it!" called Bakura to Kal, who's face took on a shocked quality as he realized that he'd just played into Bakura's hands.

Kal grimaced and handed his hand over to Bakura. Since Bakura had no other cards in his hand, Kal would be getting nothing out of this.

"Hmm…" Bakura shot a look at Kal and grinned. "**Skull Lair, Spear Cretin, Shadow Tamer, The Cheerful Coffin, Keisitai** and… oh look. A trap card. **Mask of Impregnability**. I think I'll just take that, and set it, shall I?" laughed Bakura. He slid it into his dueldisk and Kal stalked back to his side of the platform, shooting Bakura a look of utter loathing.

"That was a great play by Bakura. He planned for Kal to take a Trap card to protect himself. It's really a nice tactic," noted Grandpa Moto, impressed. Yugi, Joey and Mokuba nodded their heads in agreement, and turned back to watch the action.

Kal drew his card and then picked another from his hand. He slipped it into a slot and the platform transformed into a demonic looking place, with piles of skulls in the four corners. Wispy green spirits floated around Bakura and Kal's faces.

Teá pulled a disgusted looking face at the new surroundings.

"Oh gross. Why do these kind of guys always have to have such creepy cards? It's disgusting!" shuddered Teá mournfully.

"I'll activate my Spell card, **Skull Lair**. And now, I'll play… **The Cheerful Coffin**! Using this, I can send the **Keisitai **and **Spear Cretin **in my hand to the Graveyard. Oh look Bakura, I have two Fiends in my Graveyard," Kal laughed sinisterly, then he took the card he'd just drawn and played it.

"Now I activate **Painful Choice**! So, I take 5 cards from my deck, and you choose 1 to be placed in my hand. The rest are discarded."

Kal picked 5 cards from his deck and revealed them to Bakura. As Bakura had expected, all were fiends. There were 3 **Melkid the Four-Face Beast**, along with a **Gren Maju Da Eiza** and a **Wall of Illusion**. Bakura quickly did some calculations. Currently the Maju would have only 800 Attack, but its power would keep increasing for every fiend Kal removed for his Dark Ruler.

"Keep a **Melkid the Four-Face Beast**, and discard the rest," ordered Bakura. Kal shrugged and dumped four of the cards into his graveyard. Kal then ordered his Dark Ruler to attack Bakura directly.

"Activate **Mask of Impregnability**. Since this is your card, I'm sure you know what it does, but for the spectators, I can end your Battle Phase and draw 1 card." Bakura slipped a card from his deck into his hand and smiled. Then, since it was his turn, Bakura drew another card.

"Ha…excellent. I activate **Dark Hell Portal**. This destroys all monsters on the field and we lose LP equal to half the attack of our destroyed monsters!" explained Bakura. Kal, of course, decided to negate it.

"I'll remove my 2 **Melkid the Four-Face Beast** to negate the effect of it. What now, Bakura?" smirked Kal. Bakura sneered in turn.

"I plan to activate this… **Assets of the Dead**! By paying 2000 LP I can draw 3 cards… Let's see what I get, shall we?" chuckled Bakura as his LP fell to 2200. He smirked as he viewed his cards.

"Now, I'll play **Millennium Eye**!" declared Bakura nastily. A golden orb with the eye of Set appeared on the field. Kal glanced at it lazily. However, the eyes of the man with the silvery ponytail widened slightly, and his lips became pressed into a thin, cold line.

"So? What does it do?" asked Ashley after a few moments of silence. Bakura glared at her and in return received a piercing glare from Zeak.

"It reveals the opponent's hand, and once per turn I can remove a monster on the field from the game. Let's see your DeckMaster effect stop this Kal…"

The golden orb started to glow brightly, but was halted by the Dark Master Ha Des hitting it open-palmed, knocking the hologramatic globe out of the arena, so it faded into nothingness.

"There you go. Stopped. What do you think of that?" sneered Kal. Bakura seemed somewhat surprised, but he continued on anyway.

"Fine. You may have stopped me from destroying your DeckMaster, but I can still take it! Activate **Millennium Ring**!" shouted Bakura, somewhat angered. Kal laughed it off as he removed **Wall of Illusion** and** Gren Maju Da Eiza **from the game.

"Hah! **Ha Des**' effect prevents anything from affecting it if I so choose." Kal seemed supremely confident. Bakura growled and hit his fist onto the Dueling Platform. He set his one remaining card and then suddenly smiled. Just as he smiled Kal realized something.

"Ahh! I have no fiends left in my Graveyard!!!!" cried Kal melodramatically. Zeak winced. Kal tended to lose it once he had no fiends to defend his Dark Master with.

Kal's eyes began to twitch and he started to shake spasmodically. He started to emit a high-pitched keening sound and was rocking back and forth on his feet. Bakura watched him with some incredulity. Zeak watched for a few moments more and then chucked his water bottle at Kal's head. It hit him in the temple, and seemed to bring him to his senses, though his eyes still darted around furtively.

"it's your turn Kal, make your move." Bakura seemed to be enjoying Kal's distress.

"Yeah… my turn. Okay, yeah…. My turn… yep, I'm with you, I… what?" Kal seemed to be muttering to himself and paused to think.

"Oh yeah, right. My turn. My turn. Just… just draw a card, huh?" Kal seemed to have become suddenly very conversational with himself, and the spectators watched with varying feelings, mainly amusement, pity or worry.

Kal slowly drew his card and stared at it. He stared at it for almost ten seconds before Bakura snapped.

"Just do something already!" roared Bakura. Kal jumped, as if he'd forgotten Bakura was there.

"Oh… oh yeah. Okay… just play this then? Yeah… that'll work." Kal stopped talking to himself and stared at Bakura, though his eyes kept flicking over to his **Dark Ruler Ha Des**.

"I'll play… play… **Graceful Charity**! That's it. Draw 3 cards… and discard 2," muttered Kal, his talk turning back to himself. He drew the cards, muttering as he did.

"Hmm… okay, yeah, that's good. Oh, a fiend. Cool, need one more. And… damn." Kal looked up at Zeak, crestfallen.

"I'll discard **Opticlops **and that other card… **Mask of Restrict**! That's the one. And um…" Kal turned his gaze to Bakura's facedown card. Could it destroy his **Dark Ruler Ha Des**? Only one way to find out.

"**Ha Des**, attack directly!" ordered Kal nervously. He moaned as the face-down card swung up to reveal itself.

"I'll activate **Dark Spirit of the Silent **to force **Shadow Tamer **to attack instead," instructed Bakura, as the attack hit him and reduced his Life Points to 1400. Kal sighed with relief. It didn't destroy his **Ha Des** after all. Now he could continue to attack.

"**Hell Coffin**, attack now!" called Kal. He was going to win right now! The coffin creaked open and holographic bone shards skewered Bakura, reducing his Life Points to a mere 100. Kal stared at his monster.

"Oh… too weak… yeah, too weak…" trailed off Kal. It was now Bakura's turn. Bakura drew his card and decided to play it.

"I'll activate **Card of Sanctity**. It allows us both to draw until we have 6 cards in our hands. And then…" Bakura drew his cards, looking for some he could play. He took 3 and played them.

"I'll summon **Hannibal Necromancer **(1400/1800) in Attack Mode and set 2 cards. Now, Hannibal Necromancer, destroy the Hell Coffin!" ordered Bakura resolutely. The purple nightmare of a beast leapt forward and razor sharp claws embedded in it's wrists ripped away the door of the coffin, which collapsed into a pile of broken timber.

"Heh, woodchips…" commented Bakura nastily as Kal's Life Points fell to 6950. "End Turn."

Kal drew his card nervously, his eye twitching noticeably. He stared down at it and began to grin widely. Then he threw back his head and cackled hysterically.

As the laughter echoed around the hallway, most of the spectators glanced at each other uneasily, wondering what could invoke such a reaction. Bakura, arms crossed, glared at Kal, silently daring him to try and do something with the card he'd drawn.

"YES! YES, ALRIGHT!" crowed Kal. He slipped the card he drew into his disk and watched as Ha Des and the Shadow Tamer faded away. Bakura looked on in shock. Wouldn't he lose if Ha Des left the field?

"Ah ha ha! Activate **Curse of the Masked Beast**! If a DeckMaster is offered as a Tribute or in a Fusion, the new monster becomes the new DeckMaster! So face my DeckMaster, **The Masked Beast** (3200/2500)!" yelled Kal ferociously as the strange centaur-like beast rose and lifted its masked face to howl an unearthly howl at Bakura. Then it picked up its weapon and hurled it at Bakura's two trap cards. Bakura realized what was happening a split second before the weapon speared through them, turning them both black before they shattered.

"My DeckMaster negates every facedown card on the field and destroys them. Goodbye Bakura."

Left with only his **Hannibal Necromancer** stuck in Attack Mode, and only 100 Life Points, Bakura's demise was now inevitable.

Kal smirked and pointed at Bakura.

"Finish him."

Yugi and Joey looked shocked at the sudden turnaround. Seto was staring intensely at Bakura and Kal. Zeak stood, unmoving, impassive. The rest of Zeak's team were congratulating each other and giving each other high fives. Bakura was smirking.

The Masked Beast hefted its weapon and hurled it bodily at the purple beast cowering in front of Bakura. Just before the attack struck, a spirit drifted out of Bakura's Graveyard and the spear passed through it. Right back at the Masked Beast.

The spear slammed into the beast, driving deep into its body. The Masked Beast looked down, let out a howl of agony and shattered. Kal's holograms faded to nothingness and Bakura laughed once, a dry snicker. Kal looked up at him, disbelief and confusion flashing through his eyes.

"H…how?"

"You should be careful what you send to the Graveyard. My **Vengeance Sprite** trap card only activates in the Graveyard. It allows me to change the target of 1 attack to any monster on the field, including the one that attacked. So your DeckMaster was destroyed and sadly, you have lost." Bakura held out his hand demandingly.

"You owe me a card."

"NOOOOO!!!" Kal collapsed to his knees and his cards scattered everywhere. Bakura bent down and picked one up. He flipped it over and smirked.

"This will do nicely. Now, clear the platform you sniveling whelp, before I drag you off myself. The next duel is to take place." Bakura jumped nimbly down off the platform, right in front of Zeak. He casually stuck his index finger up at Zeak and spun around to face Yami's half-amused form.

"No congratulations needed. I know I'm the best." Bakura slapped Yami roughly on the chest and stepped back to the sidelines.

"Okay, that didn't go as planned, but there's still four more duels to play. Michael! You're up," ordered Zeak coldly. His demeanor told Kal that his boss wasn't pleased. Kal gulped slightly and slunk to the back of the group.

Mai stepped up to her side of the platform and winked at Michael.

"You start, big guy. And can you try to provide some kind of challenge?"

Michael shook his head, as if he'd heard it all before.

"I draw. Now, let's see you survive the forces of water!"

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